Nerd Nite #54: The Primate That Wears its Heart on its Sleeve

Tue, 05/22/2018 - 3:21pm

When: April 19, 2018 at Live! 102 South First Street

Have you ever been curious about animal behavior? Have you wondered how animals communicate with one another? Do you love primates? Learn about gelada monkeys – Ethiopia’s unique and wonderful highland monkey.

Gelada monkeys are nicknamed “bleeding-heart monkeys” because of a patch of exposed red skin on their chests. Adult male gelada chest patches get brighter red when they’re excited, but this doesn’t happen for adult females, young males, or non-breeding males.

Could the chest patch be an ornament to attract females, like a peacock’s plumage? Or does it signal to other males to back off? How does the environment influence signaling? Patsy discusses all of this and more about her field research in the Simien Mountains.

About Patsy Delacey:

Patsy is a biopsychology PhD student at the University of Michigan, studying how its high-altitude environment has shaped gelada monkey physiology and behavior.