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Food transfers in wild and reintroduced golden lion tamarins, Leontopithecus rosalia
Author(s) -
RuizMiranda Carlos R.,
Kleiman Devra G.,
Dietz James M.,
Moraes Ezequiel,
Grativol Adriana D.,
Baker Andrew J.,
Beck Benjamin B.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
american journal of primatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.988
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1098-2345
pISSN - 0275-2565
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2345(1999)48:4<305::aid-ajp6>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - foraging , begging , context (archaeology) , biology , callitrichidae , predation , zoology , ecology , callithrix , primate , paleontology , political science , law
We collected data from wild and reintroduced golden lion tamarins ( Leontopithecus rosalia ) to describe the behavior of donor and recipient during food transfers, evaluate the effect of supplemental feeding on food transfer behavior, and examine various hypotheses concerning the function of food transfers in primates. Behavioral observations were conducted on 12 groups of tamarins with young (N = 30) between the ages of 1 week and 1 year old. Results show that food transfers involve various behaviors, from steals by recipients to offers by donors; transfers mostly derive from adults and are directed at immature weaned young (between 3 and 9 months old); and that most items transferred were prey or fruits that require skill to process. Eleven percent of food transfers were preceded by an adult vocalization specific to that context, whereas 86% were preceded by conspicuous infant vocalizations and begging behavior. The most common vocalizations were loud and atonal (rasps) and broad banded frequency modulated (trills). Infants born to reintroduced parents vocalized less, whereas reintroduced adults vocalized more before transferring food than their wild counterparts. Reintroduced adults and young received more food transfers (4.4 per hr) than did wild‐born adults and young (2.2 per hr). Our findings suggest that food transfer in golden lion tamarins is best understood as provisioning of young that have not fully developed foraging skills to ensure they get the necessary resources for growth and survival. Am. J. Primatol. 48:305–320, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.