‘Tail-dipping’ to drink from an open water source in Cebus imitator (Primates: Cebidae) in a protected area of Costa Rica

Primate species demonstrate high levels of intelligence, innovation, and social learning. These characteristics give rise to a high likelihood of new behaviours occurring and being socially transmitted to other individuals within a group. Capuchin monkeys are group-living and are commonly considere...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sophie Collier, Roger Auster
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sociedad Colombiana de Mastozoología (SCMas) 2022-11-01
Series:Mammalogy Notes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://mammalogynotes.org/ojs/index.php/mn/article/view/319
Description
Summary:Primate species demonstrate high levels of intelligence, innovation, and social learning. These characteristics give rise to a high likelihood of new behaviours occurring and being socially transmitted to other individuals within a group. Capuchin monkeys are group-living and are commonly considered to be among the most intelligent non-ape primates. They exhibit a large repertoire of complex behaviours and have been shown to be capable of innovating to problem solve.  However, observations of new behaviours in wild populations are rare in comparison to captive populations. Here we describe Panamanian white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator) carrying out a behaviour which has not been previously documented in capuchin species and may be related to predator avoidance. This behaviour was video-recorded and to our knowledge is the first record of a capuchin species using tail-dipping behaviour to access an open water source in the wild.  
ISSN:2382-3704