Data Sheet 1_Cross-species gestural coding framework for social carnivores.pdf

Acoustic and olfactory signals, including their function and form, have been extensively studied in social carnivores. However, visual signals have been comparatively understudied. To this end, we sought to evaluate whether a unified, cross-species coding system that integrates manual and facial gestures is feasible and useful for comparative research on social carnivores. To address this gap in knowledge, we developed and applied a uniform coding framework to three species of captive social carnivores: Crocuta crocuta (spotted hyena) (n=4), Lycaon pictus (African wild dog) (n=3), and Canis lupus baileyi (Mexican gray wolf) (n=2). Our goal was to document gesture types using shared form-based labels, quantify overlap and divergence in gesture forms across species, and assess whether the resulting dataset supports interpretable comparisons of gesture frequency, recipient targeting, and context-linked function. We conducted behavioral observations of gestural communications in captive populations housed at three zoos in the United States (Buffalo, New York; Columbus, Ohio; Denver, Colorado) from June 2024 to June 2025. We used continuous focal sampling for three random hours per day during zoo operational hours (five days per week, 9:00–16:00 EST), supplemented with instantaneous scan sampling of gestural behaviors at five-minute intervals. We employed Bayesian generalized linear mixed models, including sender as a random effect, to assess the relationship between species and propensity to exhibit various gestural types (‘rank reinforcement’, ‘affiliative’, and ‘other’). Furthermore, we quantified overlap in gesture-category distributions and assessed variation in gestural function across all subjects using the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index. We found that a unified coding framework has utility for comparing gestural communication across social carnivores that otherwise vary in their species-specific ethograms. Across three species, we documented gestures that were unique to a single species and a small core of overlapping gestures, based on context. By establishing a practical, harmonized approach to coding visible gestures, we provided a methodological infrastructure for future cross-species research on social communication and facilitated direct comparisons currently limited by inconsistent gesture annotation.