Play in Wild, Immature White-Faced Capuchins

Authors

  • Ashley Mensing Faculty Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth H. Peters Department of Anthropology Florida State University

Keywords:

Theory of Evolution, animal behavior, Latin America

Abstract

Play is a costly and sometimes dangerous behavior found in most mammals and many birds and proves something of a challenge to explain in evolutionary terms. Theories on the evolution of play suggest that it imparts some benefit that exceeds the costs associated with the behavior. This study examines the relative rates of different types of play in a population of wild, sub-adult whitefaced capuchins a small, arboreal monkey, in northeastern Costa Rica. This species in particular is
known for being manually dexterous and highly manipulative foragers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of a link between these skillful mature behaviors and early learning obtained through play in sub-adults.

Author Biography

Ashley Mensing, Faculty Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth H. Peters Department of Anthropology Florida State University

Ashley Mensing is a senior majoring in Interdisciplinary
Social Sciences with a double minor in Biology and
Chemistry. She plans on graduating in the fall of 2011
and pursuing work with non-human primates before
applying for her masters. Her research interests include
evolutionary psychology and animal behavior.

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Published

2012-03-01

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2012)

Section

Research Articles

License

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