AJP September 2018

'''Gennuso, M. S., Brividoro, M., Pavé, R., Raño, M., & Kowalewski, M. (2018). Social play among black and gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) immatures during intergroup encounters. American Journal of Primatology, 80, e22909.'''

Social play between group mates in nonhuman primates is large part of their social lives, as it aids in the development of motor and social skills. Gennuso, Brividoro, Pavé, Raño, and Kowalewski (2018) sought to further the vast literature on social in nonhuman primates by extending observations to intergroup interactions. Encounters with other groups of monkeys provides information about potential breeding mates and overall group composition. The authors found that male and mixed-sex play groups were most frequent among howler monkeys, as well as most play episodes occurring between juveniles. Further, monkeys tended to play more with others in their same age group and to play more in the summer and the spring seasons. The results suggest that males may play a larger role in intergroup interactions and that play behavior serves to promote the learning of social skills. In addition, the authors suggest that play behavior may also contribute to behavioral flexibility by thrusting juveniles into unfamiliar situations, which can be invaluable when the social environment is not always static.