Scientific Report of Tufted Capuchin Monkeys in SanDiego Zoo
Behavioral Differences Between Male and Female Capuchin Monkeys in an Artificial Habitat
Studies have shown that the activity and energy of an animal can be determined through the collection of data and presentation as an activity budget (Altmann 1974, Tacha 1985). An activity budget collects specific behavior data over a predetermined time for an animal or population for analysis in the evaluation of a hypothesis. This study reports the differences in activity between males and females for a population of tufted capuchin primates living in an outdoor artificial habitat within a North American zoo. The hypothesis that there are differences in activity levels between male and females for this population is confirmed for the duration of observation in this study. More study would be required to determine the effects of weather, seasonal variation, and daytime verses nocturnal behavior.
Introduction
The tufted capuchin (Sapajus paella) is a brown or black furred primate from South America with a natural range that includes the Amazon basin (Groves, Wilson, Reeder 2005). The behavior differences between male and female capuchins in captivity are not well understood. The purpose of this study is to determine if there are average differences between male and female groups within a captive population of capuchins. The hypothesis is that the male capuchin monkeys will be more active in feeding and at rest due to differences in body size between the sexes. Studying behavior of the two sexes in a population observing specific time intervals in different activities will be used to create an activity budget. The data will then be analyzed to determine if there are notable differences between the two sexes. The theory behind an activity budget is based on the amount of energy that an animal must expend to do different activities. Metabolism in animals place limits on how long an animal can spend engaged in a given activity...
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