Work

Fur rubbing in Plecturocebus cupreus – an incidence of self-medication?

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Fur rubbing, i.e. rubbing a substance or an object into the pelage, has been described in numerous Neotropical primate species, including species of titi monkeys, but it seems to be a rare behaviour. Here we describe a fur rubbing event in a wild coppery titi monkey ( Plecturocebus cupreus ) with Psychotria sp. (Rubiaceae) leaves observed and videotaped during a field study on vigilance behaviour between September–December 2019 in the Peruvian Amazon. Plants of the genus Psychotria contain a great diversity of secondary metabolites and are often used in traditional medicine. We suggest that the fur rubbing was an act of self-medication. This is the first record of fur rubbing in coppery titi monkeys in almost 4400 h of observation accumulated over more than 20 years.

Source: Primate Biology

DOI: 10.5194/pb-9-7-2022

Authors: Gurjit K. Theara, Juan Ruíz Macedo, Ricardo Zárate Gómez, Eckhard W. Heymann, Sofya Dolotovskaya

Institutions: German Primate Center, University of Göttingen, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana, Russian Academy of Sciences, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution

Language: English

Topic: Primate Behavior and Ecology

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $307