Organism
Tufted Capuchin Monkey
TL;DR
Tufted capuchin monkeys demonstrate how dishonest alarm calls lead to credibility collapse.
Tufted capuchin monkeys demonstrate how dishonest alarm calls lead to credibility collapse. Males sometimes produce false alarm calls to scatter competitors away from food. The dishonest call works initially - others flee, the caller monopolizes food - but if individuals are repeatedly deceived, they stop responding to that individual's calls.
This creates reputational enforcement: credible individuals' alarms are heeded, non-credible individuals' alarms are ignored even when honest. Individual reputation tracking maintains overall system honesty.
Notable Traits of Tufted Capuchin Monkey
- Males produce false alarms to monopolize food
- Repeated deception leads to individual being ignored
- Demonstrates reputational enforcement of alarm honesty