Innovative coconut-opening in a semi free-ranging rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta): a case report on behavioral propensities

Journal of Ethology - Tập 29 - Trang 187-189 - 2010
Jordan A. Comins1, Brian E. Russ1, Kelley A. Humbert2, Marc D. Hauser1,3
1Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
2Department of Neurobiology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
3Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA

Tóm tắt

The present case report provides a description of the emergence of an innovative, highly beneficial foraging behavior in a single rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) on the island of Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. Selectively choosing the island’s cement dock and nearby surrounding rocky terrain, our focal subject (ID: 84 J) opens coconuts using two types of underhand tosses: (1) a rolling motion to move it, and (2) a throwing motion up in the air to crack the shell. We discuss this innovative behavior in light of species-specific behavioral propensities.

Tài liệu tham khảo

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