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General Information

Habitat and Diet

Social Spacing

Foraging Behavior

Social Group

Mating Behavior

Grooming Behavior and Cooperative Altruism

Maternal Care and Alloparenting

References

Infant capuchins have a relatively extended period of dependence upon their mothers, clinging to the undersides of their moms for the first few months of life (Byrne and Suomi, 1995). Byrne and Suomi observed a group of infants from birth, reporting that most of the infants began leaving their mothers around 6-8 weeks, but returned for nursing throughout the first year. At an average of 3 months, infant capuchins begin to grasp more locomotion capabilities, leaving the sides of their mothers for frequent treks within their home range (Byrne and Suomi, 1995). There is no known factor that results in this elongated dependence on mothers, but as the infant capuchins grow, they interact less with their maternal relatives and more time with other group members (Byrne and Suomi, 1995). However, this prolonged dependence enables the young capuchins to learn the resources of their home range and manners of their group which is a possible explanation of why their dependence is significantly longer than that of other related species (Jolly, 1994). Once male offspring reach sexual maturity (which is a disputed number between the ages of 2 and 8), they leave their natal group to find mates while females stay with their natal groups for life (Robinson and Janson, 1987; animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu). Males advertise their sexual maturity by washing their hands in their own urine and spreading it throughout their fur, scent marking themselves.

Alloparenting is common among the majority of smaller primates, including the capuchin, and involves the carrying, babysitting and sharing of resources with juveniles. Adult females and juveniles of both sexes show an increased curiosity in offspring from birth to about age 2 - continuously touching and wanting to play with the infants as they are carried on their mother’s back. The method of babysitting among the brown capuchin is unique, as it is the only species in which the dominant male interacts with the young. Adult females frequently leave their offspring with the dominant male who permits the young capuchins to play on or around him while the females forage or take a break from parenting. Furthermore, instances of allomaternal nursing have been discovered among one C. olivaceus group (Robinson and Janson, 1987).