Abstract
I examined the influence of temperature on food intake in 4 captive macaques in a room with controlled temperature. I gave them two types of artificial food pellets which were different in energy content per weight in 6 conditions of air temperature. Total energy intake of macaques increased as temperature decreased. Intake of low quality pellets increased significantly with decreasing temperature in 3 of 4 subjects. The other macaque, whose food intake was almost constant, decreased his body weight as ambient temperature decreased. These results suggest that energy requirements of macaques change with temperature as a result of changes in energy required for thermoregulation. Moreover, temperature influenced the selectivity of lower quality food. I discuss the pattern of food selection found in this experiment from the viewpoint of optimal foraging strategy.
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Agetsuma, N. Influence of Temperature on Energy Intake and Food Selection by Macaques. International Journal of Primatology 21, 103–111 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005427730535
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005427730535