1,721,108 research outputs found
Wild Bearded Capuchins process cashew nuts without contacting caustic compounds
No full textComplex and flexible food processing was a key element for the evolutionary success of hominins, enlarging the range of exploitable foods while enabling occupation of new habitats. Only a few primate species crack open encased food by using percussive tools and/or avoid physical contact with irritant compounds by removing the structures containing them. We describe, for the first time, how a population of bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) accesses the nutritious kernel of cashew nuts avoiding the caustic chemicals protecting it. Two processing strategies, namely rubbing/piercing and stone tool use, are used according to maturity of the nuts. The frequency of cashew nuts processing increases with capuchin age, and the same set of processing strategies appears to be absent in other capuchin populations, making cashew nuts processing an excellent candidate for social transmission. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Effectiveness of fladry on wolves in captivity
No full textThe technique known as fladry, traditionally used to hunt wolves (Canis lupus) in Eastern Europe and Russia, consists of driving them into a bottleneck formed by 50 × 10-cm red flags hanging from ropes stretched over the ground. The technique also has been used to livetrap wild wolves. The aim of our study was to assess whether 5 captive wolves living in 2 enclosures (120 m2 and 85 m2) also responded to fladry. We found that avoidance was maximal when flags were ≤50 cm apart and their base was at ground level. In these conditions, wolves never crossed red flags (or gray flags of the same brightness) intersecting their usual stereotyped routes (baseline: 4.08 ± 3.11 SD trespasses/min), even when the daily food ration was placed on the other side of them. In contrast, trespasses occurred when inter-flag distances were ≥75 cm or rope heights were ≤25 cm or ≥75 cm. Wolves bit at the uncrossed barriers significantly more than the crossed ones (P<0.02). Our results indicated that: 1) fladry is effective on captive wolves and 2) fladry can be used to confine wolves into limited spaces and to prevent them from accessing food, at least for a brief time. Our study provides additional evidence that this technique has potential for wolf management and to protect livestock from wolf depredation
Analysis of tufted capuchin (Cebus apella) courtship and sexual behavior repertoire: Changes throughout the female cycle and female interindividual differences
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Stone tool use by wild capuchin monkeys: a new reference point for investigating tool use across species and evolutionary time
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Tufted Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella) Prefer Variety when Dealing with Objects and Food
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