Congruence of tail use behaviors between male and female mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata)

Differences between males and females in locomotor and positional behaviors have been documented for several primate species [1, 2]. In Alouatta palliata for example, females climb and use smaller substrates more than males [3–5]. Such sex differences are usually related to body size. Indeed, interspecific studies have repeatedly demonstrated relationships between body size and locomotor and positional behaviors. It is easier, for example, for a large primate to suspend beneath a branch than to balance on top of it [6, 7]. This is particularly true for primates that feed near the periphery of the crown, where branches tend to be smaller.