Testing yawning hypotheses in wild populations of two strepsirrhine species: Propithecus verreauxi and Lemur catta

American Journal of Primatology
Alessandra ZannellaElisabetta Palagi

Abstract

Yawning, although easily recognized, is difficult to explain. Traditional explanations stressed physiological mechanisms, but more recently, behavioral processes have received increasing attention. This is the first study to test a range of hypotheses on yawning in wild primate populations. We studied two sympatric strepsirrhine species, Lemur catta, and Propithecus verreauxi, of the Ankoba forest (24.99°S, 46.29°E, Berenty reserve) in southern Madagascar. Sexual dimorphism is lacking in both species. However, their differences in ecological and behavioral characteristics facilitate comparative tests of hypotheses on yawning. Our results show that within each species males and females yawned with similar frequencies supporting the Dimorphism Hypothesis, which predicts that low sexual dimorphism leads to little inter-sexual differences in yawning. In support of the State Changing Hypothesis yawning frequencies was linked to the sleep-wake cycle and punctuated transitions from one behavior to another. Accordingly, yawning frequencies were significantly higher in L. catta than in P. verreauxi, because L. catta has a higher basal level of activity and consequently a higher number of behavioral transitions. In agreement with the Anx...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 22, 2016·Royal Society Open Science·Ivan NorsciaElisabetta Palagi
Apr 15, 2016·Animal Cognition·Rachna B ReddyBrian Hare
Nov 23, 2019·Scientific Reports·Elisabetta PalagiClara Llamazares-Martín
Dec 7, 2018·Scientific Reports·Chiara ScopaPaolo Baragli
Oct 23, 2020·Primates; Journal of Primatology·James R Anderson
Jan 22, 2021·Scientific Reports·Ivan NorsciaGiada Cordoni
Mar 6, 2021·Frontiers in Veterinary Science·Ivan NorsciaGiada Cordoni
May 7, 2021·American Journal of Primatology·Alessandra ZannellaElisabetta Palagi
Jul 14, 2021·Human Nature : an Interdisciplinary Biosocial Perspective·Ivan NorsciaElisabetta Palagi
Sep 11, 2021·Scientific Reports·Alessandro GalloIvan Norscia

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