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. 1988;16(4):341-344.
doi: 10.1002/ajp.1350160406.

Parasitic nursing behavior in the wedge-capped capuchin monkey (Cebus olivaceus)

Timothy G O'Brien  1
Affiliations

Parasitic nursing behavior in the wedge-capped capuchin monkey (Cebus olivaceus)

Timothy G O'Brien. Am J Primatol. 1988.

Abstract

Juvenile and adult females in two wild groups of wedge-capped capuchin monkeys (Cebus olivaceus) were observed nursing from other adult females. The context of the interactions varied with participants but always involved a higher-ranking female nursing from a lower-ranking female. This behavior appears to be an example of an exploitative interaction in which the suckling female benefits at the expense of the nursing female.

Keywords: Cebus olivaceus; dominance; exploitation; parasitic nursing.

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