No abstract

Novelty-seeking temperament is defined as the reaction to novel or risk situations and objects, and by the global disposition to explore such stimuli. Our purpose was to describe and compare this trait in primates. For this purpose, a risk-taking Index, a curiosity index, and a novelty-seeking index were correlated to several biosocial variables using 22 captive stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides) and 7 captive spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi). Spider monkeys scored higher than macaques, males of both species scored higher than females, and dominant macaques were evaluated as more novelty seekers. We suggest that these differences may be because of, among other reasons, the particular social system of each species.

Environmental enrichment programs are indispensable for captive animals' wellbeing as they reduce aggression and stress while providing animals both physical and cognitive entertainment.

SUMMARYCaptive animals suffer from stress and lack of stimulation. Environmental enrichment (EE) provides them with a series of activities that encourages them to present species-specific behaviors. The objective of this work was to analyze the effect of an EE program in the behavior of a 7-spider monkey colony. It was expected that aggression, coprophilia and stereotypes would be less frequent, while exploration and play would increase. The study was divided in two stages: one previous to EE and one while EE was being implemented. A focal sampling per behavior was undertaken in 1-h continuous recordings for a total of 40 hours per stage. We compared the frequency of each behavior with a Wilcoxon's signal test. The results showed that aggression, stereotypes and coprophilia were reduced during EE, while exploration and play increased significantly. No significant differences were found between sexes. EE reduces the problems originated by confinement; therefore, it must be considered a necessary tool to be continuously employed to make an improvement into the life conditions of confined individuals.Key words: Behavioral change, animal welfare, environmental enrichment, Ateles geoffroyi. RESUMENLos animales que viven en cautiverio padecen problemas relacionados con el estrés y la falta de estimulación. El enriquecimiento ambiental (EA) proporciona a los animales en esta situación un conjunto de actividades que los alienta a presentar conductas típicas de su especie. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar el efecto de un programa de EA en la conducta de una colonia de siete monos araña (Ateles geoffroyi). Se esperaba que la agresión, la coprofilia y las estereotipias fueran menos frecuentes entre los monos, mientras que la exploración y el juego se presentaran con mayor frecuencia. Para ello, la investigación se dividió en dos etapas: una etapa previa al EA y una etapa durante el EA. En cada etapa se registraron las siguientes categorías conductuales: agresión, coprofilia, estereotipias, exploración y juego. Se utilizó un muestreo focal por conducta en registros continuos de 1 hr., obteniéndose en cada etapa 40 hrs. de observación. Al comparar la frecuencia de dichas conductas con la prueba de los signos de Wilcoxon, se encontró que la agresión, las estereotipias y la coprofilia disminuyeron durante el EA. La exploración y el juego se incrementaron significativamente con el EA. No se observaron diferencias significativas al comparar el sexo de los individuos. El EA disminuye los problemas causados por el confinamiento, por lo que debe contemplarse como una herramienta indispensable que de manera constante mejore las condiciones de vida en individuos confinados.

We propose a method for capturing vocalizations that is designed to avoid some of the limiting factors found in traditional bioacoustical methods, such as the impossibility of obtaining continuous long-term registers or analyzing amplitude due to the continuous change of distance between the subject and the position of the recording system. Using Bluetooth technology, vocalizations are captured and transmitted wirelessly into a receiving system without affecting the quality of the signal. The recordings of the proposed system were compared to those obtained as a reference, which were based on the coding of the signal with the so-called pulse-code modulation technique in WAV audio format without any compressing process. The evaluation showed p < .05 for the measured quantitative and qualitative parameters. We also describe how the transmitting system is encapsulated and fixed on the animal and a way to video record a spider monkey's behavior simultaneously with the audio recordings.