Abstract
We report the first observation of probe tool use by a wild adult female bearded capuchin (Sapajus libidniosus), at Serra da Capivara National Park (SCNP), Brazil. This individual used several stick tools and one grass stem to probe her nostrils, usually triggering a sneeze reaction, and also used stick tools to probe her teeth or gum. Both of these behaviours were accompanied by inspection and licking of the tool following use. We have termed these self-directed actions nasal probe and toothpick, and neither has been previously reported in wild capuchins. While stick tool use is common among foraging male capuchins at SCNP, the novel and at present idiosyncratic activities performed by the female monkey add to the known behavioural repertoire for this species.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10329-015-0470-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
In the past decade, the establishment of long-term field studies of wild Brazilian bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) has revealed abundant evidence of tool use in this species (Ottoni and Izar 2008)
We report the first observation of probe tool use by a wild adult female bearded capuchin (Sapajus libidniosus), at Serra da Capivara National Park (SCNP), Brazil
We report two new self-directed plant tool behaviours performed by a female S. libidinosus at SCNP, the first evidence of adult female probe tool use in wild capuchins
Summary
The establishment of long-term field studies of wild Brazilian bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) has revealed abundant evidence of tool use in this species (Ottoni and Izar 2008). Wild capuchin groups in Serra da Capivara National Park (SCNP) demonstrate a wider range of tool materials and behaviour than seen elsewhere, including use of stones in sexual displays and digging tasks, and use of vegetative probes to extract small prey from crevices, threaten dangerous animals, and obtain foods such as honey (Mannu and Ottoni 2009; Falotico and Ottoni 2013, 2014). We report two new self-directed plant tool behaviours performed by a female S. libidinosus at SCNP, the first evidence of adult female probe tool use in wild capuchins. There is no ecological explanation for the stark sexual bias in probe tool behaviour at SCNP, since females prey on and consume the same plant and animal items to which males direct their probe tool use. A bias towards male capuchins at SCNP, in either learning opportunities or ontogeny, are being considered as possible explanations
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