Fur rubbing in <i>Plecturocebus cupreus</i> – an incidence of self-medication?
2022 | journal article. A publication with affiliation to the University of Göttingen.
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Fur rubbing in <i>Plecturocebus cupreus</i> – an incidence of self-medication?
Theara, G. K.; Ruíz Macedo, J.; Zárate Gómez, R.; Heymann, E. W. & Dolotovskaya, S. (2022)
Primate Biology, 9(1) pp. 7-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/pb-9-7-2022
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- Authors
- Theara, Gurjit K.; Ruíz Macedo, Juan; Zárate Gómez, Ricardo; Heymann, Eckhard W.; Dolotovskaya, Sofya
- Abstract
- 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.
- Issue Date
- 2022
- Journal
- Primate Biology
- eISSN
- 2363-4715
- Language
- English