Olive colobus (Procolobus verus) call combinations and ecological parameters in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

Animal communication is any transfer of information on the part of one or more animals that has an effect on the current or future behavior of another animal. The ability to communicate effectively with other individuals plays a critical role in the lives of all animals and uses several signals. Acoustic communication is exceedingly abundant in nature, likely because sound can be adapted to a wide variety of environmental conditions and behavioral situations. Olive colobus monkeys produce a finite number of acoustically distinct calls as part of a species-specific vocal repertoire. The call system of Olive colobus is structurally more complex because calls are assembled into higher-orderrnlevel of sequences that carry specific meanings. Focal animal studies and Ad Libitum conducted in three groups of Olive colobus monkeys in Tai National Park indicate that some environmental and social parameters significantly affect the emission of different call combination types of this monkey species.