Social importance of the juvenile period in black and gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya)

CARDENAS-ORTEGA, M. SILVANA; GENNUSO, M SOL; KOWALEWSKI, M

Quito

Congreso; Joint Meeting of the International Primatological Society and the Latin American Society of Primatology; 2022

International Primatological Society and the Latin American Society of Primatology

Social relationships in primates are often established during the juvenile period. Juveniles may acquire new relationships by occupying central group positions, since these positions are related to a greater proximity to other members of the group. In this study we examined spatial proximity interaction patterns during the juvenile period in black and gold howler monkeys. We predicted that juveniles will have greater centrality in social networks compared to adults and infants; juveniles will keep their centrality through different behavioral contexts (feeding, resting, moving, social activities); and sex and age of juveniles will affect their level of centrality. We collected 6 months of behavioral data 39 individuals, among them 11 juveniles classified in two categories: juveniles 1 (n=5, age range 1-2.5 years) and juveniles 2 (n=6, age range 2.5-4 years) from 3 groups in northern Argentina. We registered behavioral and positional patterns using scan methods and we implemented analysis of social networks. Indexes were analyzed using generalized linear mixed model. The juveniles had the greatest centrality than the other categories (infants and adults). The centrality did not show differences in the interactions between activity contexts, indicating that juveniles can maintain their social position regardless of the contexts of activity. Additionally, among juveniles there were not sex and age differences in social positions, probably due to the lack of hierarchy and the bisexual dispersion pattern that characterizes the species. This reveals the important social role that these individuals play in the establishment and cohesion of groups.