Dataset and R code for "Pump and sway: wild primates use compliant supports as a tool to augment leaping in the canopy"

The arboreal environment is constructed of complex, discontinuous supports. The shortest distances between trees typically lie between compliant terminal branches, making crossing difficult. Despite qualitative observations of wild primates pumping branches before leaping across gaps in the canopy, most studies have suggested that support compliance increases the energetic cost of arboreal leaping. In this study, we recorded wild colobine monkeys crossing gaps in the canopy, and quantitatively digitized the kinematics of both the monkey and the compliant support during behavioral sequences. We provide evidence that adult red colobus (Piliocolobus tephrosceles) use branch compliance to their advantage by actively pumping branches before leaping\, augmenting their vertical velocity at take-off. Additionally, we found that red colobus and black and white colobus monkeys (Colobus guereza) utilize tree swaying to cross large gaps, augmenting horizontal velocity at take-off and decreasing the distance between the launching support and the target. This deliberate branch manipulation to produce a mechanical effect for stronger propulsion fits into the framework of instrumental problem-solving. This is among the first studies of wild primates that show how compliant branches can be used advantageously to augment locomotor performance.