The Relationship between Tail Use and Positional Behavior in Alouatta palliata

Richard R. Lawler and Casey Stamps

ABSTRACT. The relationship between tail use and positional behavior is explored in Alouatta palliata. During bridging, climbing, suspension, standing, and sprawling, the tail is attached to a substrate for the majority of sample points. Tail attachment was more likely to occur when the animal is traveling on vertical or terminal substrates. Quadrupedalism showed few instances of attachment and sitting reflected nearly equal amounts of prehension and non-prehension. Tail prehension is used in all behavioral contexts but shows higher frequencies of attachment during feeding than during resting, or foraging. Tail prehension appears to aid in the stability, support, and balance of the animal across numerous positional behaviors.