Critically endangered blonde capuchins fish for termites and use new techniques to accomplish the task

Souto, Antonio; Bione, Camila B. C.; Bastos, Monique; Bezerra, Bruna M.; Fragaszy, Dorothy M.; Schiel, Nicola

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2011.0034

Cited by 59 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 11 publications

(17 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Boesch and Boesch 1990;Manrique et al 2010;Manrique et al 2011;McGrew 1992;Visalberghi et al 2009;Whiten et al 1999). For example, chimpanzees (captivity: Nash, 1982;Lonsdorf et al 2009;Paquette, 1992;wild: Goodall 1986, chapter 18;Bermejo and Illera 1999;Sanz et al 2009) and capuchins (captivity: Fragaszy et al 2004, chapter 10;wild: Mannu and Ottoni 2009;Souto et al 2011) extract food with probing sticks. However, the extent to which the tools selected possess the appropriate length to reach the goal has seldom been considered in captive studies (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Understanding the functional properties of tools: chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) attend to tool features differently

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We examined whether eight capuchins and eight chimpanzees were able to retrieve a reward placed inside a tube, of varying length, by selecting the correct stick from different sets of three sticks differing in length (functional feature) and handle (non-functional feature). Moreover, to investigate whether seeing the stick inside the tube (visual feedback) improves performance, half of the subjects were tested with a transparent apparatus and the other half with an opaque apparatus. Phase 1 included (a) Training 1 in which each stick had a different handle and (b) Transfer 1 in which the handles were switched among sticks, so that the functional tool had the same length but a different handle than before. The seven chimpanzees and one capuchin that passed Transfer 1 received Transfer 2. The other subjects received (a) Training 2, which used the same sticks from Phase 1 with handles switched in every trial, and (b) Transfer 2 in which the tube was longer, all sticks had the same new handle, and the formerly longest tool became intermediate in length. Eight chimpanzees and three capuchins passed Transfer 2. Results showed that (1) chimpanzees applied relational structures in tool using tasks more quickly than capuchins and (2) capuchins required more varied experience to attend to the functional feature of the tool. Interestingly, visual feedback did not improve performance in either species.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Understanding the functional properties of tools: chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) attend to tool features differently

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, chimpanzees crack open nuts with stone hammers [Boesch & Boesch, 1983;Sugiyama & Koman, 1979] and they insert sticks into cavities, such as termite mounds and trees, to obtain insects and other food [Boesch & Boesch, 1990;Goodall, 1964;McGrew, 1974;Nishida, 1973;Nishida & Hiraiwa, 1982]. Capuchins use stones as hammers to crack open nuts [Anderson, 1990;Canale et al, 2009;Fragaszy et al, 2004Fragaszy et al, , 2010Moura & Lee, 2004;Visalberghi et al, 2007] and insert objects into cavities to obtain food or water [Mannu & Ottoni, 2009;Phillips, 1998;Souto et al, 2011].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Transport of Functionally Appropriate Tools by Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella)

Judge

Bruno

2012

American J Primatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Capuchin monkeys (Cebus sp.) are notable among New World monkeys for their widespread use of tools. Like chimpanzees, they use both hammer tools and insertion tools in the wild to acquire food that would be unobtainable otherwise. Recent evidence indicates that capuchins transport stones to anvil sites and use the most functionally efficient stones to crack nuts. We further investigated capuchins' assessment of functionality by testing their ability to select a tool that was appropriate for two different tool-use tasks: A stone for a hammer task and a stick for an insertion task. To select the appropriate tools, the monkeys investigated a baited tool-use apparatus (insertion or hammer), traveled to a location in their enclosure where they could no longer see the apparatus, made a selection between two tools (stick or stone), and then could transport the tool back to the apparatus to obtain a walnut. We incorporated tool transport and the lack of a visual cue into the design to assess willingness to transport the tools and the monkeys' memory for the proper tool. Six brown capuchins (Cebus apella) were first trained to select and use the appropriate tool for each apparatus. Four animals completed training and were then tested by allowing them to view a baited apparatus and then travel to a location 8 m distant where they could select a tool while out of view of the apparatus. All four monkeys chose the correct tool significantly more than expected and transported the tools back to the apparatus. Results confirm capuchins' propensity for transporting tools, demonstrate their capacity to select the functionally appropriate tool for two different tool-use tasks, and indicate that they can retain the memory of the correct choice during a travel time of several seconds.

show abstract

“…Because of their small body mass, capuchins must use stone hammers to crack palm nuts, and stone is a raw material that is very difficult to modify. However, other wild populations of the Sapajus genus modify branches to use them as probes [27,74], as do captive capuchins manufacturing probing tools [75]. Though morphological and ecological factors seem to be sufficient to explain this difference between FBV capuchins and Taï chimpanzees, future studies should investigate whether cognitive differences might also play a role (table 2).…”

Section: (B) Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Percussive tool use by Taï Western chimpanzees and Fazenda Boa Vista bearded capuchin monkeys: a comparison

Visalberghi

Sirianni

Fragaszy

et al. 2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Percussive tool use holds special interest for scientists concerned with human origins. We summarize the findings from two field sites, Taï and Fazenda Boa Vista, where percussive tool use by chimpanzees and bearded capuchins, respectively, has been extensively investigated. We describe the ecological settings in which nut-cracking occurs and focus on four aspects of nut-cracking that have important cognitive implications, namely selection of tools, tool transport, tool modification and modulation of actions to reach the goal of cracking the nut. We comment on similarities and differences in behaviour and consider whether the observed differences reflect ecological, morphological, social and/or cognitive factors. Both species are sensitive to physical properties of tools, adjust their selection of hammers conditionally to the resistance of the nuts and to transport distance, and modulate the energy of their strikes under some conditions. However, chimpanzees transport hammers more frequently and for longer distances, take into account a higher number of combinations of variables and occasionally intentionally modify tools. A parsimonious interpretation of our findings is that morphological, ecological and social factors account for the observed differences. Confirmation of plausible cognitive differences in nut-cracking requires data not yet available.

show abstract

Critically endangered blonde capuchins fish for termites and use new techniques to accomplish the task

Cited by 59 publications

References 11 publications

Understanding the functional properties of tools: chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) attend to tool features differently

Understanding the functional properties of tools: chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) attend to tool features differently

Transport of Functionally Appropriate Tools by Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella)

Percussive tool use by Taï Western chimpanzees and Fazenda Boa Vista bearded capuchin monkeys: a comparison

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About