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Sequential analysis of play behaviour in Hanuman langurs (Semnopithecus entellus)
Palečková, Marie ; Špinka, Marek (advisor) ; Vlček, Kamil (referee)
Social play is a very variable behaviour which includes, among others, patterns used in other functional contexts (e.g. predatory, aggressive or sexual behaviour). These patterns carry a risk of potential escalation of the play into an agonistic conflict or, at least, the risk of terminating the play interaction. Therefore, many species have evolved signals to establish a playful context. Some of the play signals could have specific metacommunicative function, i.e. to modify the meaning of actions borrowed from other contexts which immediately preceded or followed the play signal. The aim of this study was to use the sequential analysis of play behaviour in Hanuman langurs (Semnopithecus entellus) to test if some of the patterns in the play sequence serve as play signals with a metacommunicative function. I have tested whether the occurrence of patterns with potential play signal function is non- random and if there is a sequential association with actions borrowed from aggressive contexts. The results showed that the frequently reported play signal called play face occurred with almost two-times higher probability immediately before or immediately after aggressive patterns in play sequence, thus serving its metacommunnicative function. Other tested patterns did not show significant association with...
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Characteristics and use of play signals
Palečková, Marie ; Špinka, Marek (advisor) ; Polák, Jakub (referee)
There are many different behavioural elements and patterns in play behaviour. A play sequence may include elements which are unique for play and also elements which are similar to movements from other behavioural contexts such as predation, aggressive behaviour or sexual behaviour. One group of the play-unique elements are play signals. Play signals are highly ritualized movements or gestures and animals use them for communicating their playfull intentions to their play partners. These actions can be used in the beginnig of a play bout for initiation of social play, or during the play bout when they are used to maintain social play in situations when the play could be interrupted by patterns from serious behaviour or could be broken off. Many scientists started to focuse their research on play behaviour and play signals in the past fifty years. However, there is still lack of sequence analysis of play of particular species. More of such analysis could bring out new interesting findings.
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