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Article History

Received: 25 July 2025

Revised: 8 December 2025

Accepted: 16 December 2025

First Online: 8 January 2026

Declarations

:

: The research adhered to the guidelines set forth by the Animal Behavior Society for the ethical treatment of animals in research. All procedures in this study were approved by the Animal Experimentation Committee of Kyoto University in Japan (# 202021) and by the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission of Ghana (WD/A.185/VOL. 13/69).

: To live successfully in groups, animals need to coordinate their movements while staying together. This study combines GPS tracking and behavioral observation to explore how wild patas monkeys use visual monitoring and calling for collective movements in a one-male, multi-female group. Females monitored visually when fewer juveniles were nearby, followed 10 minutes later by increased juvenile proximity, suggesting a role in maintaining spatial cohesion. The male monitored when the travel speed difference from females was large, and his monitoring was followed 10 minutes later by even larger differences, implying vigilance rather than coordination. Female contact calls were followed by increased travel speed of others, especially when they had been moving at similar speeds, suggesting that females may intentionally use calls to prompt others to move. These findings highlight context-dependent roles visual monitoring and calling in collective coordination among social animals.

: The authors declare no competing interests.