Table 2.
Descriptions of call types used by geladas and chacma baboons in short-range and in long-distance situations, including the way in which they are physically produced and the contexts in which they occur. CF, chacma female; CM, chacma male; GF, gelada female; GM, gelada male. Asterisks denote vocalizations that were not used in discriminant function analyses due to low sample size.
| call type | mode of production | context |
|---|---|---|
| I. Shared vocalizations in chacma baboons and geladas | ||
| affiliative grunt (CF, CM, GF, GM) | exhale | a soft tonal contact call used during approaching, grooming, and infant-handling, as well as while moving and foraging [30,109,132,134,135] |
| copulation call (CF, CM*, GF, GM) | exhale | loud grunts given before and during mating [132] |
| fear bark (CF, CM*, GF) | exhale with retracted lips | a ‘cough-like’ vocalization [136] given by subordinate individuals to high-ranking animals [132] |
| threat grunt (CF, CM, GF, GM) | exhale | a staccato-like vocalization uttered by the dominant individual in an aggressive encounter [132,137,138] |
| alarm call (CF*, CM*, GF) | exhale | noisy, harsh calls used in response to predators and other environmental threats [109,123] |
| display call or ‘wahoo’ (CM, GF*, GM) | inhale and exhale | loud calls typically uttered during competitive displays [132,136]; chacma and gelada males, in particular, make a ‘roar’ that often comes before these wahoo calls |
| lost call (CM*,CF*,GF*,GM*) | long exhale | a noisy vocalization that rises in pitch towards the end of the call and associated with separation from the group or particular individuals |
| scream (CF, GF, GM) | long exhale with retracted lips | a noisy drawn-out defensive call, usually given by subordinates when attacked by a higher-ranking individual [109,132,134] |
| II. Derived gelada vocalizations | ||
| inhaled grunt (GF*, GM) | vocal inhale | vocalized inhales often part of an affiliative grunt calling bout [135]; sometimes, inhaled grunts can have an audibly ‘nasal’ sound, produced by the withdrawn lip obscuring nasal passages [135] |
| moan (GF*, GM) | long exhale (sometimes inhaled) | long drawn-out affiliative grunt, often given by leader males to their unit's females ([109,132,139]; this study) |
| wobble (GF*, GM) | vocal inhale or exhale with lip or tongue-flicking | soft, undulating calls usually given by males to their unit females, often following ‘anxiety-producing’ situations (this study) |
| yawn (GF*, GM) | inhale | a vocalized yawn given in social contexts, often involving grooming sessions and also after mating or in competitive situations ([140]; this study) |
| pre-copulation call (GF) | short exhale | calls given by oestrous females while presenting their genitals to males |
| how barks (GM*) | exhale | high-pitched barks/whinnies given by non-leader males giving chase to other males in competitive displays |