Monkeys form shifting subgroups that reassemble in different combinations, allowing individuals to share knowledge about diverse forest areas while maintaining overlap to pool information.

The study tracked movements and mapped core ranges to show how information about fruit sources spreads through overlapping knowledge zones.

Future work aims to apply these mathematical approaches to analyze interactions among larger groups.

Spider monkeys use constantly changing subgroups to share insider knowledge on where to find the best fruit trees, rather than foraging randomly.

The findings were published in npj Complexity.

A mathematical approach indicates an optimal balance between social cohesion and exploration: enough mixing to exchange information, but some separation to ensure diverse scouting.

Mathematical modeling showed an optimal balance between cohesion and dispersion, with the best outcomes when monkeys explore different areas but reconnect often enough to pool discoveries.

The researchers note that the same mathematical techniques could be applied to study interactions among more than two individuals in future work.

Seven years of field observations from 2012 to 2017 in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula underpin the study, conducted by researchers from Heriot-Watt University, the University of Edinburgh, and the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

The study, involving experts from multiple institutions, was published in njp Complexity.

The research presents distributed exploration with periodic reunions as an explicit example of collective intelligence in natural conditions.

The study proposes that some networking is necessary to pool information, but too much uniform knowledge across all individuals is not advantageous.