Digging up food: excavation stone tool use by wild capuchin monkeys

Author(s)

Falotico, Tiago ; Siqueira, Jose O. ; Ottoni, Eduardo B.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS; v. 7, JUL 24 2017.
• Web of Science Citations: 8

Abstract

Capuchin monkeys at Serra da Capivara National Park (SCNP) usually forage on the ground for roots and fossorial arthropods, digging primarily with their hands but also using stone tools to loosen the soil and aid the digging process. Here we describe the stone tools used for digging by two groups of capuchins on SCNP. Both groups used tools while digging three main food resources: Thiloa glaucocarpa tubers, Ocotea sp roots, and trapdoor spiders. One explanation for the occurrence of tool use in primates is the ``necessity hypothesis{''}, which states that the main function of tool use is to obtain fallback food. We tested for this, but only found a positive correlation between plant food availability and the frequency of stone tools' use. Thus, our data do not support the fallback food hypothesis for the use of tools to access burrowed resources. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/04818-0 - Tool use by wild bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus): ecology, socially biased learning and behavioral traditions
• Grantee: Eduardo Benedicto Ottoni
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/05219-0 - Tool use by capuchin monkeys: learning and tradition
• Grantee: Tiago Falótico
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 06/07187-5 - Tools used by capuchin monkeys (Cebus libidinosus) of Serra da Capivara National Park - PI
• Grantee: Tiago Falótico
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 14/18364-1 - Primate Archaeology
• Grantee: Tiago Falótico
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor