Do Common Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) Use Scent to Communicate Information about Food Resources?
*Animal Communication; *Food; *Odorants/analysis; *Smell; Animals; Callithrix/*physiology; Foraging decisions; Male; Olfactory communication; Optimal foraging; Scent marking; Sensory ecology; Signaling; Urine
Many animals use olfactory cues to signal information about food resources; however, this particular use of scent has received little attention in primates. Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) are exudativores that gouge bark to elicit exudate production and frequently deposit scent marks at gouge holes. We conducted preliminary tests of the hypothesis that common marmosets use olfactory cues to communicate information about exudate value, with more desirable resources targeted for marking. We performed choice experiments on two captive male marmosets. The animals were presented with: (1) a urine scent-marked and unmarked food resource, and (2) a high and low value food resource (i.e., greater/lesser food volumes). Marmosets placed more scent marks on high, compared to low, value food resources. Animals also spent more time gouging, removed more bark and more frequently revisited high versus low value food resources. Lastly, scent-marked foods were gouged more often than unmarked foods. Our findings support the hypothesis that marmosets use scent marking and olfaction to convey information about food resources, although verification in a larger sample is needed. Nonetheless, the demonstrated link between food value and scent marking suggests that olfactory signals may aid marmoset foraging decisions.
Thompson Cynthia L; Blanck Lauren M; Pearson Meghan; Scheidel Caleb; Vinyard Christopher J
Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology
2018
2018
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1159/000490702" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1159/000490702</a>
An assessment of skin temperature gradients in a tropical primate using infrared thermography and subcutaneous implants.
*Core-shell model; *Heat loss; *Howling monkey; *Skin Temperature; *Subcutaneous temperature; *Thermal windows; *Thermoregulation; *Tropical Climate; Acclimatization; Alouatta/*physiology; Animals; Infrared Rays; Thermography/instrumentation/*methods; Thermometers
Infrared thermography has become a useful tool to assess surface temperatures of animals for thermoregulatory research. However, surface temperatures are an endpoint along the body's core-shell temperature gradient. Skin and fur are the peripheral tissues most exposed to ambient thermal conditions and are known to serve as thermosensors that initiate thermoregulatory responses. Yet relatively little is known about how surface temperatures of wild mammals measured by infrared thermography relate to subcutaneous temperatures. Moreover, this relationship may differ with the degree that fur covers the body. To assess the relationship between temperatures and temperature gradients in peripheral tissues between furred and bare areas, we collected data from wild mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata) in Costa Rica. We used infrared thermography to measure surface temperatures of the furred dorsum and bare facial areas of the body, recorded concurrent subcutaneous temperatures in the dorsum, and measured ambient thermal conditions via a weather station. Temperature gradients through cutaneous tissues (subcutaneous-surface temperature) and surface temperature gradients (surface-ambient temperature) were calculated. Our results indicate that there are differences in temperatures and temperature gradients in furred versus bare areas of mantled howlers. Under natural thermal conditions experienced by wild animals, the bare facial areas were warmer than temperatures in the furred dorsum, and cutaneous temperature gradients in the face were more variable than the dorsum, consistent with these bare areas acting as thermal windows. Cutaneous temperature gradients in the dorsum were more closely linked to subcutaneous temperatures, while facial temperature gradients were more heavily influenced by ambient conditions. These findings indicate that despite the insulative properties of fur, for mantled howling monkeys surface temperatures of furred areas still demonstrate a relationship with subcutaneous temperatures. Given that most mammals possess dense fur, this provides insight for using infrared imaging in thermoregulatory studies of wild animals lacking bare skin.
Thompson Cynthia L; Scheidel Caleb; Glander Kenneth E; Williams Susan H; Vinyard Christopher J
Journal of thermal biology
2017
2017-01
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2016.11.005" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1016/j.jtherbio.2016.11.005</a>