Within-group spatial position and activity budget of wild sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire

In Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire, sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) exhibit distinct spatial positioning within their social groups that significantly influences their activity budgets. Females and high-ranking individuals of both sexes tend to occupy more central positions, leading to increased feeding and resting times compared to males and low-ranking individuals. This study used focal behavioral observations, recording 5,115 locations for 29 individuals over 15-minute intervals, to investigate how rank, sex, and spatial position jointly affect activity budgets. The findings suggest that social status confers fitness benefits by allowing individuals to adopt advantageous positions within the group, providing new insights into primate socio-ecology and social dynamics.

Gba, B. C., Bene, J.-C. K., Gone Bi, Z. B., Mielke, A., & Kone, I. (2020). Within-group spatial position and activity budget of wild sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, 13(7), 2991–3008. https://doi.org/10.4314/ijbcs.v13i7.2