Behavioural compatibility, not fear, best predicts the looking patterns of chacma baboons

Allan, Andrew T. L.; LaBarge, Laura; Bailey, Annie; Jones, Benjamin; Mason, Zachary; Pinfield, Thomas; Schröder, Felix; Whitaker, Alex; White, Amy; Wilkinson, Henry; Hill, Russell

Abstract

Animal vigilance is often investigated under a narrow set of scenarios, but this approach may overestimate its contribution to animal lives. A solution may be to sample all looking behaviours and investigate numerous competing hypotheses in a single analysis. In this study, using a wild group of habituated chacma baboons (Papio ursinus griseipes) as a model system, we implemented a framework for predicting the key drivers of looking by comparing the strength of a full array of biological hypotheses. This included methods for defining individual-specific social threat environments, quantifying individual tolerance to human observers, and incorporating predator resource selection functions. Although we found evidence supporting reactionary and within-group (social) vigilance hypotheses, risk factors did not predict looking with the greatest precision, suggesting vigilance was not a major component of the animals’ behavioural patterns generally. Instead, whilst some behaviours constrain opportunities for looking, many shared compatibility with looking, alleviating the pressure to be pre-emptively vigilant for threats. Exploring looking patterns in a thorough multi-hypothesis framework should be feasible across a range of taxa, offering new insights into animal behaviour that could alter our concepts of fear ecology.

Citation

Allan, A. T. L., LaBarge, L., Bailey, A., Jones, B., Mason, Z., Pinfield, T., Schröder, F., Whitaker, A., White, A., Wilkinson, H., & Hill, R. (2024). Behavioural compatibility, not fear, best predicts the looking patterns of chacma baboons. Communications Biology, 7(1), Article 980. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-06657-w

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 30, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Aug 12, 2024
• Publication Date: Aug 12, 2024
• Deposit Date: Aug 13, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 14, 2024
• Journal: Communications Biology
• Electronic ISSN: 2399-3642
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 980
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-06657-w
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2752096