Object Manipulation and Tool Use to Access Water by Urban Robust Capuchin Monkeys (Sapajus sp.) in Southern Brazil

Capuchin monkeys are known for their object manipulation skills, but little is known about that in physically impaired individuals. Several wild populations use tools primarily for foraging, but such behavior is rarely reported for drinking water. In urban fragments, objects discarded are available for manipulation, and water can be scarce. Therefore, the study of object manipulation in such contexts illuminates how human-made artifacts and tools can be used to deal with anthropogenic opportunities and resource constraints. We investigated object manipulation and tool use in urban robust capuchin monkeys in Foz do Iguaçu, southern Brazil. We aimed to understand how much these animals invest their activities in object manipulation, the origin of the materials they use, the types of manipulations and tools employed, and whether the frequency of these behaviors differs among sex and age classes, as well as between dry and wet months. We described a new technique of tool use in capuchin monkeys, involving the use of containers to drink water, and a stronger tendency to use tools by an injured male juvenile with a hand deficiency. Over the course of 865 h of observation, we noted that tools were simple, infrequently used, and most were exhibited by juveniles, primarily by the injured individual, to access water during the driest periods. Containers to collect water emerged as the most frequent technique. Capuchins took advantage of human-made receptacles from nearby construction sites. Our findings contribute to understanding the flexibility of capuchins' tool use in response to urban novelties and pressures.