Behavioral responses of free‐ranging rhesus monkeys to food shortage
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TL;DR
Comparisons made between Cayo Santiago and other primate groups under analogous situations reveal similar responses to food shortage.
Abstract
Abstract During early July 1968, a severe food shortage occurred on Cayo Santiago, an island colony of free‐ranging rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta ). The food shortage produced striking changes in the behavior of the monkeys. Within the one social group intensively studied, the total frequencies of grooming, play and fights decreased significantly; the frequency of matings also dropped; body contact, displacements by other groups, and non‐displacement movements decreased, but not in statistically significant amounts. Changes in the percentage of total grooming attributable to related and unrelated monkeys reflected the stability of the rhesus matriline. Comparisons made between Cayo Santiago and other primate groups under analogous situations reveal similar responses to food shortage.