Capuchin monkeys use only proto-tools to crack jatobá hard-shelled fruits in an urban environment

The goal of this study was to describe a nut-cracking behavior by six adult bearded capuchin monkeys of a group living on an urban protected area called Bosque Bougainville in the city of Goiânia, central Brazil. The nut-cracking events, occurring with jatobá (Hymenaea stygonocarpa Mart.), were reco...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neotropical biology and conservation 2017-09, Vol.12 (3), p.209
Main Authors: Nina e Silva, Claudio Herbert, Ivanoff, Olhiga, Oliveira, Eliane Andreia Dos Santos
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Fruits
Monkeys & apes
Motor units
Protected areas
Tool use
Urban areas
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Summary:The goal of this study was to describe a nut-cracking behavior by six adult bearded capuchin monkeys of a group living on an urban protected area called Bosque Bougainville in the city of Goiânia, central Brazil. The nut-cracking events, occurring with jatobá (Hymenaea stygonocarpa Mart.), were recorded in digital video and classified in terms of behavioral categories of nut-cracking: proto-tool use and tool-use. The nut-cracking behavior was also quantified and analyzed by means of TOTE motor unit categories. All jatobá nut-cracking events records were of the proto-tool use category. The successful jatobá nut-cracking (complete TOTE motor units) occurred in most of the recorded events for all animals. The absence of tool-use records was explained by the ecological circumstances at the Bosque Bougainville and by the high level of efficacy of proto-tool used in jatobá nut-cracking.
ISSN:2236-3777
1809-9939
2236-3777
DOI:10.4013/nbc.2017.123.07