Capuchin monkeys (Cebus nigritus) use spatial and visual information during within-patch foraging.

Area of Science:

• Primate cognition
• Foraging behavior
• Animal ecology

Background:

• Foraging decisions involve navigating different spatial scales, each presenting unique cognitive demands.
• The effectiveness of spatial memory and perceptual cues varies with scale during food searching in forest environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how black-horned capuchin monkeys (Cebus nigritus) utilize spatial, visual, olfactory, and quantitative cues in small-scale foraging.
• To assess the cognitive strategies employed by capuchins during food-associated decision-making in a forest fragment.

Main Methods:

• An experimental field design with eight feeding platforms was used to test foraging decisions.
• Free-ranging capuchin monkeys were observed using the 'all occurrences' sampling method over six 20-day experiments.
• Performance was analyzed based on the first two platforms inspected, evaluating the use of various sensory and spatial cues.

Main Results:

• Capuchins successfully used visual cues and spatial information, employing a win-return strategy to locate food rewards.
• Evidence suggested a weak integration of spatial and quantitative (food amount) cues.
• No evidence was found for the use of olfactory cues in foraging decisions; social rank impacted learning and performance.

Conclusions:

• Black-horned capuchins rely on visual and spatial memory for small-scale foraging, demonstrating adaptive cognitive strategies.
• The integration of cue types appears limited, and olfactory cues are not utilized in this context.
• Individual differences, such as social status, play a role in the learning and execution of foraging tasks.