Tonkean macaques ( Macaca tonkeana) find food sources from cues conveyed by group-mates |
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Authors: | Drapier M Chauvin C Thierry B |
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Institution: | (1) Equipe d'Ethologie et Ecologie Comportementale des Primates, Centre d'Ecologie et Physiologie Energétiques, CNRS UPR 9010, 7 rue de l'Université, 67000 Strasbourg, France, |
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Abstract: | It is possible that non-specialised cues transmitted by conspecifics guide animals' food search provided they have the cognitive
abilities needed to read these cues. Macaques often check the mouth of their group-mates by olfactory and/or visual inspection.
We investigated whether Tonkean macaques (Macaca tonkeana) can find the location of distant food on the basis of cues conveyed by group-mates. The subjects of the study were two 6-year-old
males, who belonged to a social group of Tonkean macaques raised in semi-free-ranging conditions. In a first experiment, we
tested whether the subject can choose between two sites after having sniffed a partner who has just eaten food corresponding
to one of the sites. We found that both subjects were able to choose the matching site significantly above the chance level.
This demonstrated that Tonkean macaques are capable of delayed olfactory matching. They could associate a food location with
an odour conveyed by a partner. In a second experiment, the same subjects were allowed to see their partner through a Plexiglas
window. Both subjects were still able to choose the matching site, demonstrating they could rely on visual cues alone. Passive
recruitment of partners appears possible in macaques. They can improve their foraging performances by finding the location
of environmental resources from olfactory or visual cues conveyed by group-mates.
Electronic Publication |
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Keywords: | Communication Eavesdropping Olfaction Primates Recruitment |
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