Do Social Factors Related to Allostatic Load Affect Stereotypy Susceptibility? Management Implications for Captive Social Animals
Stereotypies are frequently associated with sub-optimal captive environments and are used as welfare indicators. However, susceptibility to stereotypy can vary across individuals of the same group. As such, identifying which individuals are more susceptible to this behaviour may be helpful in managing this issue. We have investigated which sex-age class of semi-captive capuchin monkeys (Sapajus […]
Food variety-seeking in tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)
Variety-seeking is a central issue to consumer behaviour research and a phenomenon of crucial relevance, both for human and animal nutrition. Variety-seeking increases the probability of nutrient adequacy in omnivores, and in humans it may also contribute to obesity epidemic by diversifying food selection and leading to excessive food intake. Although variety-seeking has been extensively […]
Delay of gratification in capuchin monkeys (cebus apella) and squirrel monkeys (saimiri sciureus)
In two separate series of experiments four capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) and four squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) were given demonstration trials in which a human transferred six pieces of food, one by one, from out of each monkey’s reach to within reach. On test trials the monkey could reach for the transferred food at any […]
Can nonhuman primates use tokens to represent and sum quantities?
It is unclear whether nonhuman animals can use physical tokens to flexibly represent various quantities by combining token values. Previous studies showed that chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and a macaque (Macaca mulatta) were only partly successful in tests involving sets of different-looking food containers representing different food quantities, while some capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) have shown […]
Survival and Adaptation of a Released Group of Confiscated Capuchin Monkeys
One commonly used method of managing confiscated wild primates in Latin American countries is to release rehabilitated individuals back to their natural habitats. However, little information has been collected from confiscated animal releases, so no clear guidelines have been developed to measure the success of this type of procedure. In most countries, the collection of […]
How to spend a token? Trade-offs between food variety and food preference in tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)
Humans and non-human animals often choose among different alternatives by seeking variety. Here we assessed whether variety-seeking, i.e. the tendency to look for diversity in services and goods, occurs in capuchin monkeys–South-American primates which–as humans-are omnivorous-are capuchin monkeys and susceptible to food monotony. Capuchins chose between a Variety-token, that allowed to select one among 10 […]
Coping strategies in captive capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.)
Studies on diverse species indicate the existence of individual differences in stress coping strategies labelled as ‘proactive’ and ‘reactive’. Identifying taxonomic distribution of such coping strategies is fundamental to evolutionary models and to management of captive animals. Capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) are neotropical primates noted for their cognitive skills and behavioural plasticity. The capuchin clade […]