Abstract
Due to their inconspicuous behaviour and colouration, it has been assumed that titi monkeys' main anti-predator behaviour is passive crypsis and hiding. So far, active predator mobbing has been documented only for black-fronted titi monkeys, Callicebus nigrifrons. Here we report for the first time mobbing behaviour of red titi monkeys, Plecturocebus cupreus (previously Callicebus cupreus), as reaction to an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and a Boa constrictor. We also report other active anti-predator behaviours, such as alarm calling and approaching, as reactions to tayras (Eira barbara) and raptors. Our observations provide additional evidence for sex differences in anti-predator behaviour, possibly related to the evolution and maintenance of social monogamy.
Highlights
Predation is thought to play a major role in the evolution of primate behaviour and ecology, predation on primates is rarely directly observed in the wild
We observed nine encounters with squirrel monkeys (Saimiri cassiquiarensis); since titis showed anti-predator response during these encounters, we include them in our report
At 07:55, all the group members returned to the same tree and started mobbing the ocelot again, vocalizing, tail lashing, and moving rapidly towards and away from it
Summary
Predation is thought to play a major role in the evolution of primate behaviour and ecology, predation on primates is rarely directly observed in the wild. Types of responses can be broadly classified into two groups: passive (e.g. avoidance, fleeing, or hiding) and active (e.g. alarm calling, attacking, or mobbing), and they vary systematically within species depending on the type of predator (Ferrari, 2009) Active responses such as alarm calling and mobbing (the latter defined as repeated and aggressive advances on a predator accompanied by calling and displaying in a conspicuous manner; Dutour et al, 2016) often involve several or all group members and have been documented in various primate species (for example, gelada baboons – Iwamoto et al, 1996; moustached tamarins – Shahuano Tello et al, 2002; chimpanzees – Boesch and Boesch-Achermann, 2000). This special male role against predators has been suggested to account both for the evolution of multi-male primate groups and for the evolution and maintenance of pair living and pair bonding in pair living species (e.g. Crook and Gartlan, 1966; De Luna et al, 2010; van Schaik and Dunbar, 1990)
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