Preliminary observations on squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedi) vocalizations in Costa Rica.
1Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, National Institutc of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
American Journal of Primatology
|January 24, 2020
Summary
This study quantitatively analyzed Central American squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedi) vocalizations, identifying new call subtypes and structural variations. Findings reveal similarities to South American Saimiri, with distinct infant call characteristics.
Area of Science:
- Primatology
- Bioacoustics
- Animal Communication
Background:
- Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri oerstedi) exhibit unique facial morphology.
- Previous research on Saimiri vocalizations provides a comparative baseline.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively analyze the acoustic structure of Central American squirrel monkey vocalizations.
- To compare the vocal repertoire of Saimiri oerstedi with South American Saimiri.
- To identify novel vocalization subtypes and variations.
Main Methods:
- Recording vocalizations from wild and captive Central American squirrel monkeys (Saimiri oerstedi).
- Acoustic analysis of recorded sound spectrograms.
- Comparison with an extensive library of South American Saimiri sound spectrograms.
Main Results:
- Acoustic structures of S. oerstedi vocalizations closely resemble South American Saimiri with the "gothic arch" phenotype.
- New subtypes, "dog-tooth twitter" and "bent-mast chuck," were identified.
- Infant isolation peep calls showed significant differences in duration and peak frequency despite structural similarities.
- Analysis of an escaped female's calls revealed intermediate structures between chuck, twitter, and peep calls.
Conclusions:
- Central American squirrel monkey vocalizations share similarities with South American congeners but possess unique structural subtypes.
- Vocal plasticity is evident, with intermediate call structures observed.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the Saimiri oerstedi vocal repertoire and its function.
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