Spontaneous Tool Use by Wild Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus libidinosus) in the Cerrado

Abstract

Among primates, only chimpanzees and orang-utans are credited with customary tool use in nature. Among monkeys, capuchins stand out with respect to the number of accounts of tool use. However, the majority of capuchin tool use observations reported in nature is anecdotal or idiosyncratic. In this report, we documented the stone pounding of dry fruits (Hymenea courbaril and Acrocomia aculeata) in two wild free-ranging groups of Cebus libidinosus in the Brasilia National Park, a preserved area representative of the Cerradobiome of Central Brazil. In 2004, we noted 2 episodes at which 4 monkeys used stones to crack open nuts. In 2005, we recorded 5 pounding episodes involving 2 different monkeys. Observations of tool use over the course of 2 consecutive years by some individuals, as well as other indirect evidence, indicate that this behaviour could be habitual in the studied groups. We propose that the probability of the emergence of the use of pounding stones as tools may be dependent on the ecological variables that influence the degree of terrestriality and extractive foraging and the complex interaction of these factors.

Agricultural crops in the diet of bearded capuchin monkeys, Cebus libidinosus Spix (Primates: Cebidae), in forest fragments in southeast Brazil

“…This information, allied to a recent discovery about the use of stone tools to crack coconuts (WAGA et al 2006) and even the cassava consumption (LUDWIG et al 2006), pointing to a great capuchins diet plasticity, makes its species apt to survive in a extensive variety of habitats, besides anthropic environments, where the capuchins make opportunistic use of human cultivated plants.…”

Parallel Evolution of Cortical Areas Involved in Skilled Hand Use

“…For example, wild chimpanzees and orangutans select and modify thin stems to "fish" at termite mounds, or use stones to crack open nuts (Goodall, 1964;van Schaik et al, 1996van Schaik et al, , 2003Fox et al, 1999;Boesch and Boesch-Achermann, 2000). Interestingly, tool use has also been observed in wild cebus monkeys (Fernandes, 1991;Fragaszy et al, 2004;Waga et al 2006).…”

Comparative Anatomy of the Pelvic Vessels in the Bearded Capuchin <b><i>(Sapajus libidinosus)</i></b> and Baboons, Apes and Modern Humans

“…Cebus/Sapajus demonstrates high cognitive and manipulatory behaviour [Antinucci and Visalberghi, 1986;Westergaard and Fragaszy, 1987;Garber, 1987;Costello and Fragaszy, 1988;Breseida and Ottoni, 2001;Tavares and Tomaz, 2002;Lima et al, 2003;Waga et al, 2006;Ottoni and Izar, 2008;Liu et al, 2009;De Moraes et al, 2014], as well as intermittent bipedalism [Demes, 2011]. Recent comparative anatomical analyses of bearded capuchins, baboons, chimpanzees and modern humans indicated…”