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Preliminary observations of complex object manipulation in a wild population of Sapajus cay Illiger 1815 (primates: Cebidae) in a fragment of upper Paraná Atlantic Forest, Rancho Laguna Blanca, eastern Paraguay

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Abstract

Capuchin monkeys are known for their cognitive abilities, including object manipulation and use of a variety of tools. The hooded capuchin (Sapajus cay) is the only representative of its genus found in Paraguay and is critically understudied in the country. This paper reports on preliminary observations of a group of hooded capuchins, in Rancho Laguna Blanca, San Pedro, Paraguay, using two different first-order object manipulation techniques to open the seeds of the tree Cariniana estrellensis (Lecythidaceae). Some individuals held the seed in both hands and stood bipedally, using their entire body weight to smash the seed against a branch. The more commonly observed technique involved the monkeys holding the seed in one hand and repeatedly striking the branch with the fruit until they could extract the seed. Only adults were ever observed to be successful in opening the fruits.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Jorge Ayala for assistance with tree identification. I am grateful to Paul Smith, Susan Smith, Emily Briggs and two anonymous reviewers for extremely helpful comments on drafts of this paper. Thanks to the SEAM and Malvina Duarte for continued support of Fundación Para La Tierra’s projects.

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  1. Fundación Para La Tierra, Rancho Laguna Blanca, Santa Rosa del Aguaray, San Pedro, Paraguay

    Rebecca L. Smith

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  1. Rebecca L. Smith
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Correspondence to Rebecca L. Smith.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by the author. Our research was approved by the Secretaria del Ambiente and complied with all local laws. The study was non-invasive and followed the American Society of Primatology Code of Best Practises for Field Primatology (2014).

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Smith, R.L. Preliminary observations of complex object manipulation in a wild population of Sapajus cay Illiger 1815 (primates: Cebidae) in a fragment of upper Paraná Atlantic Forest, Rancho Laguna Blanca, eastern Paraguay. acta ethol 20, 75–80 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-016-0244-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-016-0244-1

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