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8 - Seasonality in hunting by non-human primates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 August 2009

By
John C. Mitani  and
David P. Watts
Edited by
Diane K. Brockman  and
Carel P. van Schaik
John C. Mitani
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109–1092 USA
David P. Watts
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology Yale University New Haven CT 06520–8277 USA
Diane K. Brockman
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Carel P. van Schaik
Affiliation:
Universität Zürich
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Summary

Introduction

Primates obtain most of their food from plants (Oates 1987), but some species are well known for their predatory behavior. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) were the first non-human primates observed to hunt and eat meat in the wild (Goodall 1963). Subsequent field observations of baboons (Papio spp.) and capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) have shown them to be proficient hunters (Harding 1973, 1975; Strum 1975, 1981; Hausfater 1976; Fedigan 1990; Perry & Rose 1994; Rose 1997, 2001). Given seasonal variations in primate feeding patterns (see Chapter 3), it is not surprising that primate predators display temporal variation in their tendencies to hunt. Studies of primate hunting seasonality generate considerable ecological and ethological interest and take on additional significance because of their potential to shed light on the evolution of meat-eating by early hominids (see Chapters 17 and 19). Systematic attempts to describe seasonal variation in hunting activity by non-human primates and efforts to identify its causal factors, however, have not been made.

In this chapter, we provide an overview of seasonal variation in primate predatory behavior. We focus on chimpanzees, baboons, and capuchin monkeys, three species for which sufficient observations exist to make comparisons. We begin by reviewing data on temporal variation in hunting frequency and success by each species. We proceed to discuss the factors that appear to affect this variation. Here, we consider several ecological factors that have been hypothesized to affect temporal variation in hunting (Table 8.1).

Type
Chapter
Information
Seasonality in Primates
Studies of Living and Extinct Human and Non-Human Primates
 , pp. 215 - 242
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2005

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