Predator and non-predator long-distance calls in Guereza colobus monkeys

East African Guereza colobus monkey males are known for their conspicuous roaring behaviour; a spectacle that can dominate the predawn hours of African forests. Recent research has shown that these monkeys also produce roars during daytime hours in response to predators. While roars to leopards and eagles differ in how roaring phrases are assembled into sequences, there are no obvious structural differences between predawn roars and roars to eagles. Although recipients could use daytime information to disambiguate between the two contexts, this may be a risky strategy because eagles can be active before dawn. We carried out acoustic analyses, which showed that the duration of the first roaring phrase was significantly longer in predawn roars compared to eagle roars. Furthermore, the initial call repetition rate was faster in response to eagle roars compared to predawn roars. Apart from these two differences, all other acoustic characteristics were identical between the two contexts. Although these monkeys exhibit some of the most basic vocal behaviour found in non-human primates, callers are able to provide reliable contextual information by varying the duration and assemblage of individual vocal units. Playback experiments are needed to confirm whether recipients relate these acoustic differences to different contexts.

► Guerezas produce acoustically similar roaring sequences in response to predatory eagles and during dawn chorusing.
► Conspecific recipients respond with distinct behaviour in response to the acoustically similar roars produced in these two contexts.
► Acoustic analyses showed that subtle acoustic differences in call rate exist between the two roar types.
► Guerezas appear to make use of the differences in call repetition rate within the first two seconds of calling to discriminate between contexts.