The effects of social status on food-associated calling behaviour in captive cotton-top tamarins

Cotton-top tamarins, Saguinus oedipus, experience three separate developmental processes with regard to the production and usage of food-associated calls as their social status changes. This research used two experiments to assess the impact of social environment on food-associated calling of cotton-top tamarins. Subordinate, subadult tamarins showed a rapid reduction in other vocalizations within feeding contexts after removal from family groups. The rate of this reduction corresponded with the extent of affiliative behaviour between the newly formed pairs.