Sooty mangabeys scavenge on nuts cracked by chimpanzees and red river hogs—An investigation of inter‐specific interactions around tropical nut trees

Carrion scavenging is a well‐studied phenomenon, but virtually nothing is known about scavenging on plant material, especially on remnants of cracked nuts. Just like meat, the insides of hard‐shelled nuts are high in energetic value, and both foods are difficult to acquire. In the Taï forest, chimpa...

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Published in:American journal of primatology 2018-08, Vol.80 (8), p.e22895-n/a
Main Authors: van Pinxteren, Bryndan O.C.M., Sirianni, Giulia, Gratton, Paolo, Després‐Einspenner, Marie‐Lyne, Egas, Martijn, Kühl, Hjalmar, Lapuente, Juan, Meier, Amelia C., Janmaat, Karline R.L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agelastes meleagrides
Animals
auditory cues
Carrion
Cercocebus atys
Cercocebus atys - physiology
Chimpanzees
community ecology
Cote d'Ivoire
Ecology
Feeding Behavior
Female
Food sources
Foraging behavior
Galliformes - physiology
Guttera pucherani verreauxi
Hogs
interspecific interactions
Investigations
Ivory
Male
Meat
Monkeys
National parks
Nuts
nut‐cracking
Pan troglodytes
Potamochoerus porcus
Predation
Primates
Rainforests
Rivers
Scavengers
Scavenging
Sciuridae
Sciuridae - physiology
Swine
Tool Use Behavior
Trees
tropics
Vigilance
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Summary:Carrion scavenging is a well‐studied phenomenon, but virtually nothing is known about scavenging on plant material, especially on remnants of cracked nuts. Just like meat, the insides of hard‐shelled nuts are high in energetic value, and both foods are difficult to acquire. In the Taï forest, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and red river hogs (Potamochoerus porcus) crack nuts by using tools or strong jaws, respectively. In this study, previously collected non‐invasive camera trap data were used to investigate scavenging by sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys), two species of Guinea fowl (Agelestres meleagrides; Guttera verreauxi), and squirrels (Scrunidae spp.) on the nut remnants cracked by chimpanzees and red river hogs. We investigated how scavengers located nut remnants, by analyzing their visiting behavior in relation to known nut‐cracking events. Furthermore, since mangabeys are infrequently preyed upon by chimpanzees, we investigated whether they perceive an increase in predation risk when approaching nut remnants. In total, 190 nut‐cracking events were observed in four different areas of Taï National Park, Ivory Coast. We could confirm that mangabeys scavenged on the nuts cracked by chimpanzees and hogs and that this enabled them to access food source that would not be accessible otherwise. We furthermore found that mangabeys, but not the other species, were more likely to visit nut‐cracking sites after nut‐cracking activities than before, and discuss the potential strategies that the monkeys could have used to locate nut remnants. In addition, mangabeys showed elevated levels of vigilance at the chimpanzee nut‐cracking sites compared with other foraging sites, suggesting that they perceived elevated danger at these sites. Scavenging on remnants of cracked nuts is a hitherto understudied type of foraging behavior that could be widespread in nature and increases the complexity of community ecology in tropical rainforests. By use of camera trap videos it was confirmed that mangabeys scavenge on the nut remnants cracked by chimpanzees and red river hogs. Squirrels and two types of guinea fowl might scavenge on these nut remnants but this could not be seen clearly. Looking at the visitation rate before and after nut cracking events it was found that the possible scavenging species were more present at the nut cracking sites after a nut cracking event took place. It was found that mangabeys have an increase in vigilance behavior at chimpanzee nut cracking si
ISSN:0275-2565
1098-2345
DOI:10.1002/ajp.22895