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A new case of fish‐eating in Japanese macaques: implications for social constraints on the diffusion of feeding innovation
Author(s) -
Leca JeanBaptiste,
Gunst Noëlle,
Watanabe Kunio,
Huffman Michael A.
Publication year - 2007
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/ajp.20401
Subject(s) - fish <actinopterygii> , diffusion , zoology , psychology , food science , biology , fishery , physics , thermodynamics
This is the first detailed report of social factors affecting fish‐eating in Japanese macaques under natural circumstances. We video‐recorded a complete event of fish eating, involving a new fish food species for the monkeys on Koshima island. Following the discovery of a large beached sea bass by a peripheral male, we observed a total of 16 individuals feeding on the fish in turns, and interacting around it. The rank order of access to the fish was mainly explained by the spatial position of group members, whereas dominance determined how long the fish was monopolized. Although limited, the tolerated presence of close‐bystanders while feeding was affected by kinship and affiliation. Genealogic data suggested that fish‐eating behavior was well maintained in terms of maternal lineages. This report should contribute to a better understanding of how social features may constrain the long‐term diffusion of feeding innovations in free‐ranging primate groups. Am. J. Primatol. 69:821–828, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.