On knowing it's only play: The role of play signals in play fighting

Targets, tactics, and the open mouth face during play fighting in three species of primates

“…Methodologically, the most readily discernible gestures capable of functioning as play signals are those that are not present for combat related reasons [Fagen, 1981;Pellis and Pellis, 1996]. An obvious example is the spider monkey's head shake.…”

Impact of personality traits and early life experience on timing of emigration and rise to alpha male status for wild male white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) at Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve, Costa Rica

“…Play probably develops fighting skills by improving motor control and neural connections (Bekoff, 1988;Byers & Walker, 1995;Bell et al, 2010;Pellis et al, 2010) (but see (Sharpe, 2005b) example of how meerkat play does NOT improve fighting skills). Play has also been hypothesized to improve social competence , emotional flexibility (Fagen & Fagen, 2009), ability to manipulate others (Brueggeman, 1978), assessment of conspecifics (Pellis & Pellis, 1996), and skills in coping with novel, unexpected situations (Spinka et al, 2001). Many have hypothesized that play solidifies social bonds (Baldwin & Baldwin, 1974;Poirier & Smith, 1974;Palagi, 2006).…”

Social play as joint action: A framework to study the evolution of shared intentionality as an interactional achievement

“…Coordinating these phases relies on (Palagi, 2006;Palagi et al, 2015;Pellis & Pellis, 1996) and not as means to coordinate joint action. Second, the literature often only analyzes single phases of the bout and not the entire sequence as a potential achievement of shared intentionality.…”