Prosimian Communication

Citation

Kessler SE (2017) Prosimian Communication. In: Vonk J & Shackelford T (eds.) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing p. 6. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_456-1

Abstract
Prosimians are a group of primates which include lemurs, galagos, lorises, and tarsiers. They are diverse in their social systems, activity periods, and habitats. They may live in groups or forage solitarily, be diurnal or nocturnal, and live in diverse environments. They have complex, multimodal communication systems which rely heavily on auditory (vocalizations), olfactory (scent marks), and visual signals (movements and fur markings). These signaling modalities enable prosimians to communicate at various distances during both day and night and through different types of habitat. Both vocalizations and scent can be used to communicate between individuals that are near or far. Soft vocalizations are used for close range, and loud calls are used for distant individuals. Similarly, scent can be perceived by nearby individuals, or scent marks can be deposited to be detected by others.

People

Dr Sharon Kessler

Lecturer in Psychology, Psychology