Insect and meat eating among infant and adult baboons (Papio cynocephalus) of Mikumi National Park, Tanzania

Abstract

It has been suggested that baboon predation upon vertebrates may tend to peak in the dry season because insect food is then less available, and that males obtain animal nutrients primarily from vertebrates whereas other troop members obtain them primarily from invertebrates. The development of meat and insect eating by 22 male and 24 female infants studied for 25 months was compared with that of 18 male and 46 female adults studied for 37 months. Systematic sampling allowed quantitative comparisons between meat and insect eating, infants and adults, and males and females. Infants ate no meat, but their insect eating began early and increased steadily during the first year of life. In comparison with insect foods, meat was a minor ingredient of the adult's diet. Insect eating occurred less during dry than during rainy months, but meat eating was spread across the year. Reliable sex differences in insect eating did not occur. The findings were related to theories offered to explain the attractiveness of animal foods to primates and to the suggestion that a sex difference in predatory inclinations of hominid ancestors may have been a preadaptation underlying the eventual emergence of male hunting and female gathering.

Antelope Predation by Nigerian Forest Baboons: Ecological and Behavioural Correlates

“…However, like other studies [Rhine et al, 1986], we did not find support for the hypothesis that a reduced availability of green vegetation and insects during the dry season causes increased meat eating [Hausfater, 1976] -given that dry-season predation was relatively rare at GGNP. Instead, it seems more likely that calving peaks reflect synchronization of parturition with the time when suitable food is available to the lactating mother or her soon to-be-weaned calf.…”

“…It seems likely that these sex differences are due to the much larger body size and fighting power of AM baboons and perhaps that they are unencumbered by infant care [Rhine et al, 1986]. Hausfater [1976] had hypothesized that baboon females acquire animal nutrients primarily through feeding on invertebrates, while males do so by preying on vertebrates.…”

“…Here, we present the first data on mammal predation by wild olive baboons inhabiting a relatively closed environment. The study site Harding [1973], Strum [1975]; b = Barton [1990]; c = Goodall [1986]; d = Rowell [1966]; e = Akosim et al [2010]; f = Rhine et al [1986]; g = DeVore and Washburn [1963]; h = Altmann and Altmann [1970]; i = Hausfater [1976]; j = Kivai [2013]; k = Davies and Cowlishaw [1996]; l = Hamilton and Busse [1982]; m = Ryne Palombit, cited in Fichtel [2012]; n = Stoltz and Saayman [1970]; o = Shar- in North-Eastern Nigeria is an outlier in terms of habitat and climate. Our research is based on long-term observation of two well-habituated troops [Sommer and Ross, 2011].…”

Hunting behavior of wild chimpanzees in the Taï National Park

“…This evidence suggests that it may be too simple to propose a unique evolution of hunting in early man; indeed, anthropologists favor the idea that a radical change in the habitat (a shift from the forest to a more open savanndwoodland environment east of the Rift Valley in East Africa) of early hominids forced them into a series of adaptations, of which the hunting of mammals would be a major one (Coppens, 1983;Johansen and Edey, 1981;Leakey, 1981 Leakey andLewin, 1978;Pilbeam, 1980). Data on predation on mammals in primates have been collected from a wide range of species, for example, blue monkey (Butynski, 1982)) vervet monkey (Galat and GalatLuong, 1977), macaque Estrada, 1977, 1978), mandrill (Kudo and Mitani, 1985), most savanna-dwelling baboons (Altmann and Altmann, 1970;Hamilton and Busse, 1982;Harding, 1975;Hausfater, 1976;Goodall, 1986;Kummer, 1968;Strum, 1981;Rhine et al, 1986), orangutan (Sugardjito and Nuhuda, 1981), pygmy chimpanzee (Badrian and Malenky, 19841, and the common chimpanzee (see references below). However, observations on all these species vary in length, living conditions of the animals, and recording procedure, so that comparisons done in order to understand the factors influencing hunting in primates are difficult.…”

The World Spread Through Insectivory - Role of Insect-Eating Behavior by Primates in Forest Ecosystem -

“…。タッピングを使っ た昆虫捕食行動は， ノドジロオマキザル(Cebus capucinus)でもみられる (Phillips et al, 2002;Panger et al, 2002 (Collins & McGrew, 1987) (Nishida, 1972;Nishida & Uehara, 1983;Nishie, 2011) 。ギニアの Bossou では，地上でのサスライアリ捕食も頻繁 であるが，道具を用いて樹上に営巣するオオア リも捕食する (Yamamoto et al, 2008) 。ガボン の Lopé でもオオアリが捕食される (Tutin et al, 1995) 。サスライアリは，タンザニアの Gombe (Goodall, 1986) (Mittermeier et al, 1983;Milton & Nessimian, 1984;Tashiro, 2006 (Rhine et al, 1986) 。狩猟採集活動は，性別による分業 がみられるため，霊長類の昆虫食においても 性差がみられるか否かが焦点となった。キイ ロヒヒ(Papio cynocephalus)では，雨季に比 べて乾季に昆虫食の頻度が高いほか，性差は みられない (Rhine et al, 1986) (Yoneda, 1984) 。キリギリ スの捕食に着目した研究では，クチヒゲタマ リンとサドルバックタマリンが，下層と高層， あるいは，緑と茶，隠ぺい型と露出型など， 異なる生活スタイルをもつキリギリスを食べ 分けることで，種間競合を回避しているとい われている (Nickle & Heymann, 1996) 。 植 物 食では採食する種類が重複していることを考 慮すれば， 昆虫の食い分けは顕著である。一方， クチゲタマリンとサドルバックタマリンは， クチヒゲタマリンが捕食する過程で飛び立っ たキリギリスを，地上にいるサドルバックタ マリンが捕食するという形で，捕食にかかる 利益を共有しているという。 (Peres, 1992) Most primates forage on insects to varying degrees. Research focusing on insect foraging behavior has been much less than that of feeding on plant foods.…”