Acquisition behavior of Manihot esculenta Crantz (Euphorbiaceae), cassava, by Cebus nigritus (Goldfuss) (Primates, Cebidae) as a feeding adaptation on scarcity periods

This study reports the acquisition behavior and the frequency of consumption of cassava, Manihot esculenta Crantz, by Cebus nigritus (Goldfuss, 1809) in the wild during periods of drought. This exotic food item is subterraneous and therefore does not provide the clear visual stimuli for its detection, particularly in the case of organisms that are primarily visually-oriented such as primates.

Adaptation; animal behavior; capuchin monkey; diet; forest fragment