Yet Another Non-Unique Human Behaviour: Leave-Taking in Wild Chacma Baboons (<i>Papio ursinus</i>)
Leave taking is a common, possibly universal, feature of human social behaviour that has undergone very little empirical research. Although the importance remains unknown, it has been suggested to play an important role in managing separations, mitigating the risk, and increasing social bonding beyo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/19/2577 |
| _version_ | 1797481007791734784 |
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| author | Lucy Baehren Susana Carvalho |
| author_facet | Lucy Baehren Susana Carvalho |
| author_sort | Lucy Baehren |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Leave taking is a common, possibly universal, feature of human social behaviour that has undergone very little empirical research. Although the importance remains unknown, it has been suggested to play an important role in managing separations, mitigating the risk, and increasing social bonding beyond the interaction itself. In nonhuman species, the literature is virtually absent, but identifying leave taking beyond humans may provide unique insights into the evolutionary history of this behaviour and shed light onto its proximate and ultimate function(s). Methods to study leave taking are not well-established, and the variation in definitions, measures, and control variables presented in past studies poses additional challenges. Baboons are a valuable model for investigating human behavioural evolution: as a flexible, highly adaptable, and social primate whose radiation is, similarly to humans, associated with the emergence of the African savannah biome. Using the framework and definition proposed by Baehren, we investigated the presence of leave taking in a wild, generalist primate and tested a range of candidate behaviours on prerecorded video footage: (1) self-scratching, (2) eye gaze, and (3) orientation in the direction of parting. Using multivariate analysis, controlling for interaction duration and individual variation, our results show that orientation in the direction of parting occurs predominantly before social separation events. These results indicate evidence of leave taking in a wild nonhuman population and contrast with previous ideas that this is a uniquely human behaviour. The presence of leave taking in baboons suggests a deep evolutionary history of this behaviour, warranting further investigation into its function and presence across other nonhuman primate species. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:08:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3fef281e6e004478b7e6080d05652d42 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:08:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-3fef281e6e004478b7e6080d05652d422023-11-23T19:36:01ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152022-09-011219257710.3390/ani12192577Yet Another Non-Unique Human Behaviour: Leave-Taking in Wild Chacma Baboons (<i>Papio ursinus</i>)Lucy Baehren0Susana Carvalho1Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Institute of Human Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6PR, UKPrimate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Institute of Human Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6PR, UKLeave taking is a common, possibly universal, feature of human social behaviour that has undergone very little empirical research. Although the importance remains unknown, it has been suggested to play an important role in managing separations, mitigating the risk, and increasing social bonding beyond the interaction itself. In nonhuman species, the literature is virtually absent, but identifying leave taking beyond humans may provide unique insights into the evolutionary history of this behaviour and shed light onto its proximate and ultimate function(s). Methods to study leave taking are not well-established, and the variation in definitions, measures, and control variables presented in past studies poses additional challenges. Baboons are a valuable model for investigating human behavioural evolution: as a flexible, highly adaptable, and social primate whose radiation is, similarly to humans, associated with the emergence of the African savannah biome. Using the framework and definition proposed by Baehren, we investigated the presence of leave taking in a wild, generalist primate and tested a range of candidate behaviours on prerecorded video footage: (1) self-scratching, (2) eye gaze, and (3) orientation in the direction of parting. Using multivariate analysis, controlling for interaction duration and individual variation, our results show that orientation in the direction of parting occurs predominantly before social separation events. These results indicate evidence of leave taking in a wild nonhuman population and contrast with previous ideas that this is a uniquely human behaviour. The presence of leave taking in baboons suggests a deep evolutionary history of this behaviour, warranting further investigation into its function and presence across other nonhuman primate species.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/19/2577<i>Papio ursinus</i>greetingleave takingseparationparting |
| spellingShingle | Lucy Baehren Susana Carvalho Yet Another Non-Unique Human Behaviour: Leave-Taking in Wild Chacma Baboons (<i>Papio ursinus</i>) Animals <i>Papio ursinus</i> greeting leave taking separation parting |
| title | Yet Another Non-Unique Human Behaviour: Leave-Taking in Wild Chacma Baboons (<i>Papio ursinus</i>) |
| title_full | Yet Another Non-Unique Human Behaviour: Leave-Taking in Wild Chacma Baboons (<i>Papio ursinus</i>) |
| title_fullStr | Yet Another Non-Unique Human Behaviour: Leave-Taking in Wild Chacma Baboons (<i>Papio ursinus</i>) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Yet Another Non-Unique Human Behaviour: Leave-Taking in Wild Chacma Baboons (<i>Papio ursinus</i>) |
| title_short | Yet Another Non-Unique Human Behaviour: Leave-Taking in Wild Chacma Baboons (<i>Papio ursinus</i>) |
| title_sort | yet another non unique human behaviour leave taking in wild chacma baboons i papio ursinus i |
| topic | <i>Papio ursinus</i> greeting leave taking separation parting |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/19/2577 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lucybaehren yetanothernonuniquehumanbehaviourleavetakinginwildchacmababoonsipapioursinusi AT susanacarvalho yetanothernonuniquehumanbehaviourleavetakinginwildchacmababoonsipapioursinusi |