The Capuchin Monkeys 1) Introduction According to an article by the Wildlife Waystation, Capuchin monkeys have a “dark-colored cap of fur on their heads” and “dark sideburns”. Due to these physical characteristics, these monkeys were named after the monks in the “Order of Capuchin Friars” which were compared to their headdresses. Most of the Capuchins weight ranging from three to nine pounds and are thirteen to twenty -two inches tall. In the wild life, Capuchins are known to live from ten to twenty-five years.
A capuchin’s habitat is mostly on top of the trees and they can be ound in rainforests or low lands in islands in the South America and countries such as Brazil, Argentina, and Columbia. The long, prehensile of the Capuchins allows them to be able to grasp onto the tree branches and swing themselves from tree to tree with no difficulty. Capuchins also have opposable thumbs that help them grab onto their food and use their tools while they hunt. The geographic distribution of the Capuchins is mainly in the South America continent. )
Tool Use Among Wild Capuchins After Am J Primatol performed an investigation on the use of ools among wild capuchins, she discovered that the use of stone “avils” being used by Capuchins to crack open their nuts. The proof to this observation were empty palm nut shells on the floor and the reasonable sized stones that can be believed were used for pounding against the nuts. The stones that were found nearby the observation sites were known to weigh greater than a kilogram which would make it difficult if most Capuchins weigh less than four kilograms.
Capuchins have also been seen using some sort of stick tool that was used to be able to reach ood in hard to reach places such as small cracks, holes, or even insect nests (Izar and Ottoni, 173-174). By using the sticks, the Capuchins are more efficient in obtaining food to eat for survival. A third tool used by the wild Capuchins was living near a body of water to be able to stay hydrated and have available more food resources such as “shell fish and crabs” (Bioexpedition, 1).
Capuchins used their intelligence to make the most of their resources and be able to feed on various kinds of food with little difficulty. )Captive Capuchins A study conducted by Grassetto and Janes-Filho included six ubjects which were two adult males, one youngster male, one adult female, and one young female captured Yellow-Breasted Capuchin monkeys by the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewal of Natural Resources that were going to be tested on their cognitive abilities to manipulate certain tools to open certain foods. The experimenters first categorized their manipulation events into three categories which are: simple object, object substrate, and complex object.
An example of the first manipulation would be the opening of a closed leaf to obtain the larvae inside of it. For the second manipulation it would be rubbing a twig of the hard surface and for the third manipulation would be the hitting of two branches together. The first part of the experiment was placing a transparent lid on top of a box and the food for the Capuchin would be located on the outside of the box and inside of the box was located “two quartzite stones of different sizes” and the objective was for the Capuchin to figure out how to break the lid open to reach the food (Grassetto and Jalles, 16).
The results of the experiment can out to discover that all Capuchins except for one used the tones to break the lid of the box. After analyzing the data from this experiment, it can be concluded that no matter the species of Capuchin, their native impulse to survive will trigger a manipulated action to be able to figure out the tool use problems and adapt to their environments efficiently. )
Differences in the Diversity of Tool Kits between Wild and Captive Capuchins Some obvious difference in the diversity of tool kits between the wild and captive Capuchins is based on the “captivity bias” idea that the Captive Capuchins have a greater chance of using their tools in more of an innovative way han the Capuchins living in the wild since they are used to only using the tools by one regular method. According to Michael Haslam, the factors that promote captivity bias are the “increase contact engaged in tool use”, “guidance or shaping of behavior by humans”, and “increased free time and energy”.
Unlike the wild Capuchins, they need to be alert at all times to know when their predators are close in range and therefore need to take cover and protect themselves. An increase in population and density is also a reason why captive Capuchins have more guidance and become more prone to adapt to the new nnovative technology. Tool kits vary in size and what components make up the kits and these kits. Tool kits are affected by the foraging practices done by the Capuchins in the wild.
In a study done by Susan Perry, she discovered that “17 out of 20 cases” used the same type of strategy of trying to open an eating mechanism by either pounding it, scrubbing, or tapping against a surface is evidence to the fat that depending on the location of the Capuchin is how the younger generations of Capuchins will learn to go look for their food. Unlike the wild Capuchins, the captive Capuchins ait to see if they can learn a faster and easier way to reach their food. )
Conclusion Despite the differences of the environments in which the wild and captive Capuchins live in, both non-human primates have the intelligent brain mechanism that allows them to analyze the use of a tool and be able to figure out how to use it in a beneficial way. Although the captive Capuchins have the guidance of humans when it comes to selecting which tool and how to use it, wild Capuchins also have to be agile when their predator comes near them and their families.
Capuchin culture irrors certain aspects of human culture in the way we analyze the resources we have around us and try to come up with a solution to our problems by starting to complete simple tasks such as figuring out what a stone can do by hitting it against a shell to break it open. Capuchin behavior is similar to that of humans in the way we are selective with the food we want to eat and if we find out there is a better and more efficient way to obtain food, then we will do our best to learn and work as a team.
Similar to humans, the younger generations of Capuchins are eager to try new things and discover new tools they can use o eat better food without having to leave their zone of comfort. Both in the Capuchin and human culture, sharing of food is seen with the youngsters, and they use “daycare” and the elders of the Capuchins take turns to help take care of the newborns (Dewar, 2).
Capuchins also form alliances so the younger Capuchins have someone to go to if they have any problem they need help fixing or just any question they may have. To add on, Capuchins also learn some kind of que to know when danger is around and when they need to take cover. As soon as the newborn Capuchin is born, his parents start to teach them the asic elements needed to survive in the rainforests similar to that of the human parents that guide their children to grow into responsible citizens of society.
Capuchins have a large brain that can hold a substantial amount of information and that can be beneficial when it comes to learning new strategies of hunting, eating, socializing, and having a good time. The human kind has a lot to teach the Capuchin population just as much as we have to learn from them and be able to discover new innovative treatments for illnesses and other viruses or issues society may be facing.
