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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2007 Jan 3.
Published in final edited form as: Anim Behav. 2004 Apr;67(4):627–636. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2003.06.004

Table 2.

Behavioural definitions

Category Definition Classification
Instantaneous samples
Resting Focal animal still, with eyes opened or closed but without scanning surroundings
Scanning Focal animal still, moving head side to side as if monitoring surroundings
Grooming Focal animal picking through fur of another animal with hands or mouth
Being groomed Animal picking through focal animal’s fur with hands or mouth
Autogrooming Focal animal picking through its own fur with hands or mouth
Eating gum Focal animal gouging holes or licking at gum holes or moving from hole to hole at a gum tree
Foraging Focal animal looking for, pursuing or eating animal food (insects, arachnids or vertebrates) or eating or looking for fruit or other plant parts (except gum)
Travelling Focal animal moving
Other None of the above categories
Agonistic behaviour
Chase/lunge Throwing the body towards another individual/pursuing partner aggressively, without contact aggression A
Hit Cuff or grab the fur of another individual with hand A
Bite Normal usage A
Ehr-ehr vocalizations Low-pitched, staccato chattering (Epple 1968) A
Cower Sinking down to substrate and moving the body away from another individual (Digby 1995) S
Submissive vocalizations String of vocalizations that included nga-nga (low-pitched, atonal, infantile squeal; Epple 1968) S
Avoid Quick movement around or under a branch or trunk in response to another animal’s approach (Digby 1995) S

A: aggressive; S: submissive.