Toxic tasting: how capuchin monkeys avoid grasshoppers' chemical defenses

Author(s)

Rufo, Henrique P. ; Ferreira, Luiza G. ; Ottoni, Eduardo B. ; Falotico, Tiago

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PRIMATES; v. 65, n. 4, p. 7-pg., 2024-05-25.

Abstract

Platyrrhines consume many species of arthropods in the order Orthoptera. Some species of orthopterans can produce chemical defenses that render them toxic or unpalatable and thus act as predator deterrents. These species include the stick grasshoppers (family Proscopiidae), which are widely distributed in the Caatinga biome in northeastern Brazil, which comprises part of the distribution of capuchin monkeys. Capuchin monkeys are omnivores and consume a wide variety of foods, including unpleasant-tasting, potentially toxic items, which they need to learn how to process. We describe the processing of stick grasshoppers (Stiphra sp.) by wild capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) that live in Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil, and compare how individuals of different age classes handle these potentially toxic food items. S. libidinosus predominantly avoided consuming the digestive tract, which contains toxic compounds, when feeding on stick grasshoppers. Immatures took longer than adults to process the stick grasshoppers, indicating that capuchins need to learn how to process the toxic digestive tract of these prey to avoid consuming it. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/00716-2 - Cultural variation in robust capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp)
• Grantee: Tiago Falótico
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Young Researchers
• FAPESP's process: 18/01292-9 - Cultural variation in robust capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.)
• Grantee: Tiago Falótico
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• FAPESP's process: 23/01992-9 - Cultural Variation in capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp) - TT4
• Grantee: Luíza Gonzalez Ferreira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Technical Training Program - Technical Training
• FAPESP's process: 21/04771-8 - Ecological and social influences in the use of lithic tools for digging in the foraging of tufted capuchin monkeys from the Serra da Capivara National Park (PI, Brazil)
• Grantee: Eduardo Benedicto Ottoni
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants