Cheek pouch use, predation risk, and feeding competition in blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni)

Abstract

The adaptive function of cheek pouches in the primate subfamily Cercopithecinae remains unresolved. By analyzing the circumstances of cheek pouch use, we tested two hypotheses for the evolution of cercopithecine cheek pouches proposed in earlier studies: (1) cheek pouches reduce vulnerability to predation, and (2) cheek pouches increase feeding efficiency by reducing competition. We studied two groups of wild blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni) in the Kakamega Forest, Kenya, conducting focal observations of feeding individuals. Monkeys were less exposed while emptying their cheek pouches than filling them, supporting the predation-avoidance hypothesis. We investigated several measures of competitive threat, but only one supported the competition-reduction hypothesis: when the nearest neighbor's rank increased, subjects were more likely to increase than to decrease cheek pouch use. Overall, our findings supported the predation-avoidance hypothesis more strongly than the competition-reduction hypothesis. We suggest that variation in cheek pouch use may reflect differing behavioral strategies used by cercopithecines to mitigate competition and predation, as well as factors such as resource size and distribution, home range size, and travel patterns.