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IPS Conference 2006
Abstracts
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Abstract # 14:
Scheduled for Monday,
June 26, 2006
05:30 PM-05:50 PM:
Session 1 (Kuku)
Symposium
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PREDATION AND ANTI-PREDATOR BEHAVIOR IN OLD WORLD MONKEYS (SUPERFAMILY: CERCOPITHECOIDEA): THE EFFECTS OF HABITAT STRUCTURE ON PERCEIVED RISK OF PREDATION AS EXEMPLIFIED BY VERVET (CERCOPITHECUS AETHIOPS) AND PATAS (ERYTHROCEBUS PATAS) MONKEYS |
K. L. Enstam
Sonoma State University, Department of Anthropology, 1801 E. Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA, 94928, USA |
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| Predation has long been thought to be an important selective pressure on primate behavior and sociality. Among Old World monkeys (Superfamily: Cercopithecoidea), predation has been argued to have favored traits such as large group size, multi-male groups, polyspecific associations, and sexual dimorphism in canine and body size. Cercopithecoids have a wide array of known and potential predators that differ greatly in hunting style. Thus, it is not surprising that Old World monkeys display a variety of behaviors in response to the threat of predation, including alarm calls, silence or cryptic behavior, and the formation of polyspecific associations. This paper summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding predation on Old World monkeys, including confirmed and potential predators and estimated annual predation rates of cercopithecoids. Specifically, this paper uses detailed research on the anti-predator behavior of free-ranging vervet (Cercopithecus aethiops) and patas (Erythrocebus patas) monkeys in Laikipia District, Kenya, to illustrate the ways in which habitat structure affects cercopithecoid perceived risk of predation and responses to predators. |
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Modified: 18 December 2005
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