Who takes the risk to forage? Testing consistent inter-individual behavioural variation in wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)
Abstract
Risk-taking behaviour permeates daily decision-making across many taxa and has significant impact on fitness outcomes. Previous research finds that individuals display consistent tendencies in their propensity to take risks, often labelled as a "Boldness-Shyness" personality trait. In this experimental study, we investigated repeatability in risk-taking behaviour in 241 wild vervet monkeys by measuring their responses to capture threat (via human-initiated darting procedure) and predation threat (via two predator models). We further examined the influence of socio-demographic, group identity and hormonal factors on risk-taking behaviour. We found that multiple behavioural responses, including the likelihood of approaching a food source under threat, were consistent across contexts. Risk-taking behaviour was influenced by age, sex, dominance rank, and hormonal profiles: juveniles, males, and higher-ranking individuals were more likely to approach food under (perceived) predation risk. Additionally, we observed significant among-group differences, suggesting that individuals within the same social group exhibit similar risk sensitivities, potentially due to social facilitation or shared environmental effects. The findings contribute to our understanding of animal personality and the ecological and social drivers underlying variation in risk-related behaviours.
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BibTeX
@misc{pallieres2026takes,
title = {{Who takes the risk to forage? Testing consistent inter-individual behavioural variation in wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)}},
author = {Claire Gauquelin Des Pallières and Elena Belli and Fanny Aguilera and Michel Halbwax and Vedrana Šlipogor and Erica van de Waal and Lee Koren and Devorah Matas and Charlotte Canteloup},
howpublished = {HAL},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.64898/2026.06.08.730785},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05854757v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Who takes the risk to forage? Testing consistent inter-individual behavioural variation in wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)
AU - Claire Gauquelin Des Pallières
AU - Elena Belli
AU - Fanny Aguilera
AU - Michel Halbwax
AU - Vedrana Šlipogor
AU - Erica van de Waal
AU - Lee Koren
AU - Devorah Matas
AU - Charlotte Canteloup
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/08
PB - HAL
DO - 10.64898/2026.06.08.730785
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05854757v1
AB - Risk-taking behaviour permeates daily decision-making across many taxa and has significant impact on fitness outcomes. Previous research finds that individuals display consistent tendencies in their propensity to take risks, often labelled as a "Boldness-Shyness" personality trait. In this experimental study, we investigated repeatability in risk-taking behaviour in 241 wild vervet monkeys by measuring their responses to capture threat (via human-initiated darting procedure) and predation threat (via two predator models). We further examined the influence of socio-demographic, group identity and hormonal factors on risk-taking behaviour. We found that multiple behavioural responses, including the likelihood of approaching a food source under threat, were consistent across contexts. Risk-taking behaviour was influenced by age, sex, dominance rank, and hormonal profiles: juveniles, males, and higher-ranking individuals were more likely to approach food under (perceived) predation risk. Additionally, we observed significant among-group differences, suggesting that individuals within the same social group exhibit similar risk sensitivities, potentially due to social facilitation or shared environmental effects. The findings contribute to our understanding of animal personality and the ecological and social drivers underlying variation in risk-related behaviours.
ER -