Abstract
We know the capuchin (Cebus apella) is an omnivorous monkey; we have a considerable amount of information given by native hunters that it feeds on small-sized species of amphibians and reptiles, young birds and birds' eggs, as well as various kinds of fruit and insects. However, how the monkey discovers, captures, and eats such food has not yet been reported. Neither has it been reported that the capuchin feeds on certain species of them purposely, not accidentally.
The capuchin observed by the author fed on a kind of frog (Hylidae), which inhabits Guadua (Bambusa guadua) and each individual used the same method to discover, capture, and eat the frog. It can be suggested that the behavior in such a series are adaptive ones which guarantee the capuchin a constant supply of frogs.
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References
Izawa, K., 1975. Foods and feeding behavior of monkeys in the upper Amazon basin.Primates, 16: 295–316.
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Mizuno, A., 1976. Four Cebidae species: How to make their living in Orinoco.Monkey, 20(1–2): 38–49. (in Jap.)
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Izawa, K. Frog-eating behavior of wild black-capped capuchin (Cebus apella). Primates 19, 633–642 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02373631
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02373631