But eventually the monkeys run into each other in the forest or have to come together to defend the area against invaders.
Often just one pair of monkeys embraces, and this diffuses the situation for both groups, the study says. But it's not clear yet whether certain monkeys tend to take on that role or whether it is more random.
"It could be that you have two ambassadors," Aureli said. "They go and do their thing, and then there's no problems for anybody else."
Insights Into Human Behavior?
Primate-behavior expert Patricia Wright of Stony Brook University in New York State called the project "a great study."
Before this study, "there wasn't a lot of evidence that embracing is a way to diffuse tension and show that they're equals," the anthropologist said.
"I think that's crucial. It seems more like an equal-to-equal, friendly thing."
This kind of work could put human handshakes and hugs in a new light, said Wright, who is a member of the National Geographic Society's Conservation Trust. (National Geographic News is part of the National Geographic Society.)
"There are a lot of methods to alleviate tension, and they vary between species," Wright said.
"The bonobos use sex, for example. We don't see that in any other primates.
"And the hugs are like that too," since they're used only by spider monkeys—and ourselves.
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