Food-associated calls in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): II. Costs and benefits of call production and suppression

In field experiments, free-ranging rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatto)gave food-associated calls in 45% of the trials in which theywere presented with food, either monkey chow or coconut; theydid not call in control trials when sticks were presented. Consistentwith prior naturalistic observations, adult females called ina higher proportion of trials than adult males. Coconut, oneof the most highly preferred food items in the diet, eliciteddifferent call types and a higher rate of calling from "discoverers"than did chow. The call types produced to coconut (warbles,harmonic arches, and chirps) were primarily those that, undernonexperimental conditions, were associated with relativelyrare and preferred foods. In contrast, coos and grunts wereprimarily produced in response to chow. The relative hungerlevel of the discoverer had no significant effect on the calltype produced but did affect the rate of call production; discovererscalled at higher rates when they were hungry. Upon hearing food-associatedcalls, individuals within the vicinity of the discovery respondedby rapidly approaching the caller. A larger number of individualsapproached when discoverers called than when they did not. Discovererswho failed to call received significantly more aggression fromgroup members and, in the case of females, actually consumedless food than discoverers who called. The probability of receivingaggression did not appear to be associated with the discoverer'sdominance rank. Results suggest that food-associated calls are"honest" signals reflecting food possession. Those who failto signal and are caught with food are apparently punished.