Toxic tasting: how capuchin monkeys avoid grasshoppers' chemical defenses

Autor(es)

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

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: PRIMATES; v. 65, n. 4, p. 7-pg., 2024-05-25.

Resumo

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)

• Processo FAPESP: 19/00716-2 - Variação cultural em macacos-prego (Sapajus spp)
• Beneficiário: Tiago Falótico
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Jovens Pesquisadores
• Processo FAPESP: 18/01292-9 - Variação cultural em macacos-prego (Sapajus spp.)
• Beneficiário: Tiago Falótico
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Jovens Pesquisadores
• Processo FAPESP: 23/01992-9 - Variação cultural em macacos-prego (Sapajus spp) - TT4
• Beneficiário: Luíza Gonzalez Ferreira
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Programa Capacitação - Treinamento Técnico
• Processo FAPESP: 21/04771-8 - Influências ecológicas e sociais no uso de ferramentas líticas para escavação no forrageamento por macacos-prego do Parque Nacional Serra da Capivara (PI)
• Beneficiário: Eduardo Benedicto Ottoni
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOTA - Regular