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Título

Characterization of the stone tool use sites by Endangered blonde capuchin monkeys in the Caatinga dry forest

Corpo do texto

Sapajus is the only one in which the use of stone as tool has been previously documented among Brazilian primates. Although previously recorded in Atlantic Forest, blonde capuchin monkeys, Sapajus flavius, have been recorded in the Caatinga. In this study, we present the first data on the mapping of stone tool use sites by S. flavius inhabiting an area of Caatinga in northeastern Brazil. The stone tool use sites were georeferenced using a GPS and mapped in a GIS. The number of hammers and anvils present at the sites was recorded, measured, and food remains on the anvils were classified as fresh and old. The measurements of hammerstones were compared between two encased foods most exploited. We recorded 247 hammers and 215 anvils. The mean width and length of anvils were 60 cm (±50) and 47 cm (±57), respectively. As for the hammerstones, the mean weight was 377 g (±483), mean length 91 mm (±36), mean width 66 mm (±63), and the mean thickness 41 mm (±52). A total of 92 food remains were recorded with 70 of these being identified. Of these, 3.1% were fresh and 96.9% were old. The plant species with the highest number of food remains were Cnidoscolus quercifolius (58.6%) and Prunus dulcis (32.8%). The weight, width, and thickness of the hammerstones used to crack fruit of P. dulcis were significantly higher. These findings are consistent with previous studies on stone tool use in capuchins (two plant species frequently exploited). The hammerstones used to crack P. dulcis fruit are heavy, wide, and thick, and this food occurred during the dry period. These findings contribute to the increase of knowledge about the use of tools in capuchin monkeys, which in turn provides a solid baseline for the development of effective conservation strategies.

Financiadores

Re:Wild and Facepe  

Palavras-chave

Culture; hammerstone; Sapajus flavius