Evolutionary Dynamics of Primate Cognition and Communication
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Human-Animal Interactions, Animal Behaviour and Emotion".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: primatology; evolution; behavioral ecology; evolutionary psychology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Non-human primates (NHPs) exhibit a remarkable diversity of communicative behaviors, ranging from vocalizations and facial expressions to gestures and multimodal signals. Understanding how these systems have evolved—and how they vary across species and contexts—is crucial not only for primatology but also for gaining insights into the origins of human language and cognition.
In recent years, scientific advances have deepened our understanding of primate communication, revealing previously unrecognized levels of complexity and intentionality. At the same time, evolutionary perspectives are increasingly used to interpret communication patterns within broader ecological and social frameworks.
The aim of this Special Issue is to gather original scientific research and review articles that explore the evolution, function, and mechanisms of communication in non-human primates. We welcome contributions that focus on vocal, gestural, facial, olfactory, or multimodal communication, especially those that link communicative behavior with evolutionary theory, cognitive capacity, or social structure.
This Special Issue seeks to highlight current advances and foster dialog across disciplines, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of how communication has shaped—and been shaped by—primate evolution.
Dr. Mateo Peñaherrera-Aguirre
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- primate communication
- vocalizations
- gestural communication
- multimodal signaling
- cognitive evolution
- social behavior
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