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Garbino GST, Semedo TBF, Miranda EBP. Taphonomy of harpy eagle predation on primates and other mammals. Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23567. [PMID: 37849067 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
The goal of this study is to provide a taphonomic analysis of bone fragments found in harpy eagle nests in the Brazilian Amazonia, utilizing the largest sample of prey remains collected to date. Harpy eagle kill samples were collected from nine nests, between June 2016 and December 2020 in Mato Grosso, Brazil. We identified the specimens, calculated the number of identified specimens (NISP) and minimum number of individuals (MNI). These metrics were used to estimate bone survivability and fragmentation. A total of 1661 specimens (NISP) were collected, representing a minimum number of 234 individuals (MNI). We identified at least nine species of primates, which represent 63.8% of the individuals in the kill sample. Harpy eagles preyed mostly on the medium-sized capuchin and bearded saki monkeys (28.2% of the MNI), and two-toed sloths (17.7% of the MNI). The large woolly monkeys also represented a significant portion of the sample (11.5% of the MNI). Three distinct patterns of bone survivability were found, one characterizing two-toed sloths, another characterizing medium-sized monkeys, and a third typical of woolly monkeys. We conclude that harpy eagle predation leaves an identifiable signature on the prey with a bone survivability pattern specific to each taxon. The intertaxon variations observed in the taphonomic signatures of harpy eagle kills should be taken into account when evaluating the potential influence of these raptors as accumulators of bone material in both paleontological and neontological assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme S T Garbino
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Museu de Zoologia João Moojen, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Brazil
| | - Thiago B F Semedo
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus de Vairão, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Everton B P Miranda
- School of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Biodiversity, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
- The Peregrine Fund, Boise, Idaho, USA
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2
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Bertacchi A, Watts DP. The use of chimpanzee-modified faunal assemblages to investigate early hominin carnivory. Evol Anthropol 2023; 32:359-372. [PMID: 37844154 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Chimpanzees regularly hunt and consume prey smaller than themselves. It seems therefore likely that early hominins also consumed small vertebrate meat before they started using and producing stone tools. Research has focused on cut marks and large ungulates, but there is a small body of work that has investigated the range of bone modifications produced on small prey by chimpanzee mastication that, by analogy, can be used to identify carnivory in pre-stone tool hominins. Here, we review these works along with behavioral observations and other neo-taphonomic research. Despite some equifinality with bone modifications produced by baboons and the fact that prey species used in experiments seldom are similar to the natural prey of chimpanzees, we suggest that traces of chimpanzee mastication are sufficiently distinct from those of other predators that they can be used to investigate mastication of vertebrate prey by early hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Bertacchi
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - David P Watts
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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3
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Primate–Predator Interactions: Is There a Mismatch Between Laboratory and Ecological Evidence? INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00331-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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4
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Drumheller SK, Boyd CA, Barnes BMS, Householder ML. Biostratinomic alterations of an Edmontosaurus "mummy" reveal a pathway for soft tissue preservation without invoking "exceptional conditions". PLoS One 2022; 17:e0275240. [PMID: 36223345 PMCID: PMC9555629 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Removal or protection from biostratinomic agents of decomposition, such as predators and scavengers, is widely seen as a requirement for high-quality preservation of soft tissues in the fossil record. In this context, extremely rapid burial is an oft-cited mechanism for shielding remains from degradation, but not all fossils fit nicely into this paradigm. Dinosaurian mummies in particular seemingly require two mutually exclusive taphonomic processes to preserve under that framework: desiccation and rapid burial. Here we present a recently prepared Edmontosaurus mummy that reveals an alternate fossilization pathway for resistant soft tissues (e.g., skin and nails). While the skin on this specimen is well-preserved in three dimensions and contains biomarkers, it is deflated and marked by the first documented examples of injuries consistent with carnivore activity on dinosaurian soft tissue during the perimortem interval. Incomplete scavenging of the carcass provided a route for the gases, fluids, and microbes associated with decomposition to escape, allowing more durable soft tissues to persist through the weeks to months required for desiccation prior to entombment and fossilization. This pathway is consistent with actualistic observations and explains why dinosaurian skin, while rare, is more commonly preserved than expected if extreme circumstances were required for its preservation. More broadly, our assumptions guide specimen collection and research, and the presence of soft tissues and biomolecules in fossils that demonstrably were not rapidly buried, such as this mummy, suggests that such types of evidence may be substantially more common than previously assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie K. Drumheller
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee–Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SKD); (CAB)
| | - Clint A. Boyd
- Fossil Resource Management Program, North Dakota Geological Survey, Bismarck, North Dakota, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SKD); (CAB)
| | - Becky M. S. Barnes
- Fossil Resource Management Program, North Dakota Geological Survey, Bismarck, North Dakota, United States of America
| | - Mindy L. Householder
- State Historical Society of North Dakota, Bismarck, North Dakota, United States of America
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5
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Baughan K, Balolia KL, Oxenham MF, Mcfadden C. Comparisons of Age-at-Death Distributions among Extinct Hominins and Extant Nonhuman Primates Indicate Normal Mortality. JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.1086/720701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kieran Baughan
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, and School of Geosciences, Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, 44 Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Katharine L. Balolia
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, and School of Geosciences, Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, 44 Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Marc F. Oxenham
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, and School of Geosciences, Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, 44 Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Clare Mcfadden
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, and School of Geosciences, Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Australian National University, 44 Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601, Australia
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Seike T. Frequent predation on primates by crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus) in Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania. Primates 2022; 63:327-333. [PMID: 35578142 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-00990-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The significance of raptor predation has been repeatedly emphasized in studies on arboreal primates; however, there are few studies on the predation of primates by raptors in primate-rich forest environments. Among the raptor species, the crowned eagle in Africa is known to be a primate-predator. In this study, a video camera was set up at the nesting site of a crowned eagle pair in the Mahale Mountains National Park in Tanzania, and the prey species delivered to the nest by the pair were identified by analyzing the video footage. Of the 46 prey deliveries recorded during 4.5 months of recording in the nestling season, primates accounted for 26 cases, of which 16 were red-tailed monkeys, the most abundant primates in the area. No prey was clearly identified as red colobus, despite a seemingly high density of this monkey species. This result suggests that predation by the eagles was biased toward the red-tailed monkey in Mahale, whereas no such bias toward the same monkey species was reported in a previous study conducted in Kibale. Furthermore, among different predator species in Mahale, only the crowned eagle prey primarily on red-tailed monkeys. Although chimpanzees and leopards inhabiting the study area are also significant predators of monkeys, these two species prefer red colobus to red-tailed monkeys. This suggests that these two monkey species living in the same forest have different primary predatory threats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Seike
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
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An ancient cranium from Dmanisi: Evidence for interpersonal violence, disease, and possible predation by carnivores on Early Pleistocene Homo. J Hum Evol 2022; 166:103180. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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8
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Dominy NJ, Melin AD. Liminal Light and Primate Evolution. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANTHROPOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-anthro-010220-075454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The adaptive origins of primates and anthropoid primates are topics of enduring interest to biological anthropologists. A convention in these discussions is to treat the light environment as binary—night is dark, day is light—and to impute corresponding selective pressure on the visual systems and behaviors of primates. In consequence, debate has tended to focus on whether a given trait can be interpreted as evidence of nocturnal or diurnal behavior in the primate fossil record. Such classification elides the variability in light, or the ways that primates internalize light in their environments. Here, we explore the liminality of light by focusing on what it is, its many sources, and its flux under natural conditions. We conclude by focusing on the intensity and spectral properties of twilight, and we review the mounting evidence of its importance as a cue that determines the onset or offset of primate activities as well as the entrainment of circadian rhythms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel J. Dominy
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA
| | - Amanda D. Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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9
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Effects of Female Group Size on the Number of Males in Blue Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) Groups. INT J PRIMATOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-020-00174-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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10
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Eller AR, Pobiner B, Friend S, Austin RM, Hofman CA, Sholts SB. A chomped chimp: New evidence of tooth marks on an adult chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 172:140-147. [PMID: 32170724 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To describe and interpret previously unreported marks on the dry cranium of an adult chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) from Côte d'Ivoire at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (USNM 450071). MATERIALS AND METHODS All marks on the cranium were documented and assessed through physical examination of the specimen, photography, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), and 3D laser scanning. Pits and punctures were measured with digital calipers for comparison with published carnivore tooth mark measurements. RESULTS The cranium shows perimortem or postmortem damage to the temporal, occipital, and maxillary regions that is not recent. Size and color variation in the marks suggest two damage events, possibly involving chewing by different animals, at least one of which was a large-bodied mammal. The 22 tooth pits and punctures (0.89-8.75 mm in maximum length and 0.88-6.63 mm in breadth) overlap in size with those inflicted by wild leopards, the most significant predators of common chimpanzees due to their largely overlapping ecological distributions. CONCLUSIONS Based on qualitative and quantitative evidence, we conclude that leopards are the most likely cause of the most prominent marks on the cranium. However, we cannot rule out the additional possibility of other chimpanzees, although there are no published studies of chimpanzee tooth marks for direct comparison. This study is the most extensive documentation to date of a modern adult chimpanzee skull exhibiting tooth marks by a large mammal, thus providing new evidence to help identify and interpret other events of predation and scavenging of large-bodied apes in the modern and fossil records.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea R Eller
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Briana Pobiner
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Sadie Friend
- Department of Anthropology, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, USA
| | - Rita M Austin
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA.,Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Courtney A Hofman
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA.,Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Sabrina B Sholts
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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11
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LaBarge LR, Hill RA, Berman CM, Margulis SW, Allan ATL. Anthropogenic influences on primate antipredator behavior and implications for research and conservation. Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23087. [PMID: 31894614 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Predation risk affects prey species' behavior, even in the absence of a direct threat, but human-induced environmental change may disturb ecologically significant predator-prey interactions. Here, we propose various ways in which knowledge of antipredator tactics, behavioral risk effects, and primate-predator interactions could assist in identifying human-caused disruption to natural systems. Using behavior to evaluate primate responses to the ongoing environmental change should be a potentially effective way to make species conservation more predictive by identifying issues before a more dramatic population declines. A key challenge here is that studies of predation on primates often use data collected via direct observations of habituated animals and human presence can deter carnivores and influence subjects' perception of risk. Hence, we also review various indirect data collection methods to evaluate their effectiveness in identifying where environmental change threatens wild species, while also minimizing observer bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura R LaBarge
- Department of Environment and Sustainability, Program in Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Amherst, New York.,Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, Louis Trichardt, South Africa
| | - Russell A Hill
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, Louis Trichardt, South Africa.,Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, UK.,Department of Zoology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
| | - Carol M Berman
- Department of Environment and Sustainability, Program in Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Amherst, New York.,Department of Anthropology, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Amherst, New York
| | - Susan W Margulis
- Department of Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, Canisius College, Buffalo, New York.,Department of Biology, Canisius College, Buffalo, New York
| | - Andrew T L Allan
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, Louis Trichardt, South Africa.,Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, UK
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12
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Crowley BE, Godfrey LR. Strontium Isotopes Support Small Home Ranges for Extinct Lemurs. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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13
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Miranda EBP. Reintroducing apex predators: the perils of muddling guilds and taxocenoses. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:180567. [PMID: 30109104 PMCID: PMC6083722 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Everton B. P. Miranda
- ONF Brasil Gestão Florestal, Cotriguaçu, MT, Brazil
- Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Alta Floresta, MT, Brazil
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14
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Meador LR, Godfrey LR, Rakotondramavo JC, Ranivoharimanana L, Zamora A, Sutherland MR, Irwin MT. Cryptoprocta spelea (Carnivora: Eupleridae): What Did It Eat and How Do We Know? J MAMM EVOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-017-9391-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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15
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Paciência F, Baluya D, Mbaryo P, Knauf S, Zinner D. Olive baboons' ( Papio anubis) response towards crowned eagles ( Stephanoaetus coronatus) at Lake Manyara National Park. Primate Biol 2017; 4:101-106. [PMID: 32110697 PMCID: PMC7041538 DOI: 10.5194/pb-4-101-2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper we report on two encounters between olive baboons (Papio anubis) and crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus) at Lake Manyara National Park, northern Tanzania. During these encounters olive baboons responded by giving alarm calls and all infants and juveniles rushed down from trees seeking cover under bushes or close proximity to adult conspecifics. In one of the events, alarm calls from banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) and rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis) most likely triggered alarm calling of vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) which in turn prompted baboons to respond with alarm calls as well. In both observations, adult male baboons took the lead in climbing trees, threatening the eagle (staring, yawning, ground slapping) and chasing it away. The reaction of the baboons suggests that crowned eagles pose a threat at least for juvenile baboons at Lake Manyara National Park.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipa M. D. Paciência
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz
Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Pay Mbaryo
- Tanzania National Parks, P.O. Box 3134, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Sascha Knauf
- Work Group Neglected Tropical Diseases, Pathology Unit, German Primate
Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077
Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dietmar Zinner
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz
Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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Armstrong A. Small mammal utilization by Middle Stone Age humans at Die Kelders Cave 1 and Pinnacle Point Site 5-6, Western Cape Province, South Africa. J Hum Evol 2016; 101:17-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Revised: 09/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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17
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L’Abbé EN, Symes SA, Pokines JT, Cabo LL, Stull KE, Kuo S, Raymond DE, Randolph-Quinney PS, Berger LR. Evidence of fatal skeletal injuries on Malapa Hominins 1 and 2. Sci Rep 2015; 5:15120. [PMID: 26459912 PMCID: PMC4602312 DOI: 10.1038/srep15120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Malapa is one of the richest early hominin sites in Africa and the discovery site of the hominin species, Australopithecus sediba. The holotype and paratype (Malapa Hominin 1 and 2, or MH1 and MH2, respectively) skeletons are among the most complete in the early hominin record. Dating to approximately two million years BP, MH1 and MH2 are hypothesized to have fallen into a natural pit trap. All fractures evident on MH1 and MH2 skeletons were evaluated and separated based on wet and dry bone fracture morphology/characteristics. Most observed fractures are post-depositional, but those in the right upper limb of the adult hominin strongly indicate active resistance to an impact, while those in the juvenile hominin mandible are consistent with a blow to the face. The presence of skeletal trauma independently supports the falling hypothesis and supplies the first evidence for the manner of death of an australopith in the fossil record that is not attributed to predation or natural death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ericka N. L’Abbé
- Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Private Bag x323, 0007, Arcadia, South Africa
| | - Steven A. Symes
- Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Private Bag x323, 0007, Arcadia, South Africa
- Department of Applied Forensic Sciences, Mercyhurst University, 501 East, 38th St, Erie, PA, 16546, USA
| | - James T. Pokines
- Forensic Anthropology Program, Boston University School of Medicine, 72 East, Concord St, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Luis L. Cabo
- Department of Applied Forensic Sciences, Mercyhurst University, 501 East, 38th St, Erie, PA, 16546, USA
| | - Kyra E. Stull
- Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Private Bag x323, 0007, Arcadia, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology, Idaho State University, 921 South, 8th Ave, Pocatello, ID, 83209, USA
| | - Sharon Kuo
- Department of Applied Forensic Sciences, Mercyhurst University, 501 East, 38th St, Erie, PA, 16546, USA
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, One Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA
| | - David E. Raymond
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, California State University Los Angeles, 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA
| | - Patrick S. Randolph-Quinney
- School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, 2193, South Africa
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050, South Africa
| | - Lee R. Berger
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050, South Africa
- Centre for Excellence in Palaeosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050, South Africa
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Abstract
Most scholars agree that avoiding predators is a central concern of lemurs, monkeys, and apes. However, given uncertainties about the frequency with which primates actually become prey, the selective importance of predation in primate evolution continues to be debated. Some argue that primates are often killed by predators, while others maintain that such events are relatively rare. Some authors have contended that predation's influence on primate sociality has been trivial; others counter that predation need not occur often to be a powerful selective force. Given the challenges of documenting events that can be ephemeral and irregular, we are unlikely ever to amass the volume of systematic, comparative data we have on such topics as feeding, social dynamics, or locomotor behavior. Nevertheless, a steady accumulation of field observations, insight gained from natural experiments, and novel taphonomic analyses have enhanced understanding of how primates interact with several predators, especially raptors, the subject of this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Scott McGraw
- Department of Anthropology, 064 Smith Laboratory, The Ohio State University, 174 West 18th Avenue
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20
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Gilbert CC, McGraw WS, Delson E. Brief communication: Plio‐Pleistocene eagle predation on fossil cercopithecids from the Humpata Plateau, southern Angola. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2009; 139:421-9. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher C. Gilbert
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520‐8277
- Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520‐8277
| | - W. Scott McGraw
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210‐1106
| | - Eric Delson
- Department of Anthropology, Lehman College/CUNY, Bronx, NY 10468
- Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP)
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21
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Mcgraw WS, Zuberbühler K. Socioecology, predation, and cognition in a community of West African monkeys. Evol Anthropol 2008. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.20179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Species, age and sex differences in type and frequencies of injuries and impairments among four arboreal primate species in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Primates 2008; 50:65-73. [DOI: 10.1007/s10329-008-0119-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2007] [Accepted: 11/10/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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23
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Variation in behavioral and hormonal responses of adult male gray-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) to crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-008-0682-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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24
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Bianchi RDC, Mendes SL. Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) predation on primates in Caratinga Biological Station, Southeast Brazil. Am J Primatol 2007; 69:1173-8. [PMID: 17330310 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.20415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
This study demonstrates that ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) extensively use primates as a food resource at the Caratinga Biological Station (CBS) in Southeast Brazil. Analysis of 60 fecal samples collected over 4 years revealed predation upon the brown howler monkey (Alouatta guariba), the muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus), and the brown capuchin monkey (Cebus apella). The most frequent items found in the fecal samples analyzed were Calomys (n=16) and non-identified Aves (n=15), followed by A. guariba (n=12). Although Rodentia was the most common group consumed (n=52) Primates were found in 27% of total fecal samples and were the third most consumed group in relation to the total items. Particularly, predation of A. guariba by ocelots (20% of the total fecal samples) was not an isolated event; our results showed that this species was preyed on across several months. Predation on primates was far higher at CBS than at other sites where comparable studies have been carried out.
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25
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Taphonomic analysis of skeletal remains from chimpanzee hunts at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. J Hum Evol 2007; 52:614-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2006] [Revised: 10/27/2006] [Accepted: 11/15/2006] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Gilbert CC. Craniomandibular morphology supporting the diphyletic origin of mangabeys and a new genus of the Cercocebus/Mandrillus clade, Procercocebus. J Hum Evol 2007; 53:69-102. [PMID: 17521704 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2007.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2006] [Revised: 02/06/2007] [Accepted: 03/06/2007] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have noted skeletal and dental differences supporting the diphyletic origin of the mangabeys. Documented postcranial and dental characters are congruent with molecular data and thus support a close relationship between Cercocebus and Mandrillus (mandrills and drills) on the one hand and Lophocebus, Papio (baboons), and Theropithecus (geladas) on the other. Most of these characters, however, are postcranial and difficult to assess in the papionin fossil record because associated material is rare. In order to assess the African papionin fossil record and determine the evolutionary history of this group, cranial characters are critical. Here, a set of craniomandibular morphologies are documented that support the diphyletic origin of the mangabeys and more broadly support the molecular African papionin clades (i.e., Cercocebus/Mandrillus vs. Lophocebus/Papio/Theropithecus). These characters are then used to identify a series of fossil crania from Taung as representative of a new member of the Cercocebus/Mandrillus clade, Procercocebus antiquus. Procercocebus antiquus is closest in morphology to the extant taxon Cercocebus torquatus, and a probable ancestor-descendant relationship between Procercocebus and Cercocebus is suggested. Paleoecological reconstructions also suggest that a predator-prey relationship between African crowned eagles and the Procercocebus-Cercocebus lineage has existed for approximately the last two million years. Implications for Cercocebus biogeography and evolution are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher C Gilbert
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Department of Anthropology, SBS Building S-501, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-4364, USA.
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