Abstract

TUJAGUE, María P; BACIGALUPE, María Á; LAHITTE, Héctor B  and  JANSON, Charles. Memoria Espacial En Monos Capuchinos De Argentina: Un Estudio Observacional En Vida Silvestre. Rev Arg Antrop Biol [online]. 2016, vol.18, n.1. ISSN 1514-7991.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17139/raab.2016.0018.01.01.

Spatial memory is considered a selective factor in the evolution of intelligence. Animal studies lead us to believe that cognitive processes described in humans may have much in common with those of other species. We studied the foraging spatial behavior of capuchin monkeys and their ability to retain information about food location and quality. We analyzed whether individuals were able to integrate stored information about food sites and changes in the ripening of the resource. A qualitative observational design was used to monitor three groups of wild Cebus nigritus in their daily movements, evaluating the amounts of ripe and unripe fruit present in the fruiting trees consumed by monkeys. Visits to fruiting trees showed that monkeys remember specific information on the location and condition of each tree. These findings are essential to understand cognitive mechanisms not mediated by language, allowing a more comprehensive analysis of the biological basis of non-human spatial behavior.

Keywords : Cebus=Sapajus nigritus; fruiting trees; speed of approach; visit.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )