Social behavior and hierarchy in a group of Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella) in the Centro de Reabilitacao de Animais Silvestres (Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil / Comportamento social e hierarquia em um grupo de macacos - prego (Cebus apella) no Centro de Reabilitação de animais silvestres, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

Brazil figures among the countries having the greatest biological diversity on the planet. Besides owning 33% of the remaining tropical forest, it has the greatest diversity of neotropical fishes, 22% of felidaes and the greatest number of primates and psittacidaes of the world. Regarding specifically to the primates, there are approximately 275 species belong to this genus and 77 of them occur in Brazil. Besides, from the total of global biodiversity, Brazil is the country owning the greatest number of primates. In the other hand, it can be observed a significant increase on the number of studies about the behavior and ecology of the primates. Despite the importance of these works that are present as in the Amazon Biome as in the Biome of the Atlantic Forest, the researches and studies carried out in the Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna) practically do not exist or, for the time being, they are unknown. Considering this, the central subject of the present study is the social behavior and hierarchy of a group of Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella) held in captivity in the Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center (CRAS - Centro de Reabilitacao de Animais Silvestres), located in the urban area of Campo Grande city, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The objective is to study the social behavior, focusing the hierarchies of 11 individuals Cebus apella. The specific objectives were: to describe the behavior of the individuals studied by preparing an ethogram to compare the social interactions regarding sex and the age of the individuals; in the end, to verify how they showed the hierarchical relationship among the individuals of the respective social group. The collection of material for the present study went from August 2005 to August 2006, whereby from August 2005 to January 2006, the observations intended exclusively the identification and elaboration of the behavioral pattern of the animals. During the following months, from February to August 2006, the collections were carried out on a monthly basis, comprising 4 days which totaled 40 hours of observation each month. In the description of the ethogram were identified and stated the following categories: maintenance, locomotion, feeding and social interactions. It can be said that the social organization of the group formed artificially - in order to avoid make them feel under pressure to compete for food nor by predators -, is similar to the animals in the wild only in the act of offering food, since through the day it could be observed several affiliative interactions, as they do not compete for food. It could be observed also that the young monkeys spent a good part of the day to play. Thus, it can be understood that hierarchical relationships, even in captivity, are kept always that there is a competition factor involved, in this case was the feeding act, and that social affiliative relationships are held as a strategy b gain allies, as well as for the success of the reproductive act, involving factors as age and sex regarding hierarchy.

ASSUNTO(S)

hierarchy cebus apella. comportamento social, hierarquia, cebus apella psicologia macaco-prego - comportamento social animais silvestres - reabilitação psicologia da saúde - dissertação social behavior

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