Host: Primate Society of Japan
Food transfer is defined as the unresisted transfer of food from one food-motivated individual, the “possessor”, to another, the “recipient” (Feistner & McGrew 1989). This behavior has been described in different terms, including sharing, scrounging, and tolerbated theft, and it is usually accompanied by diverse behaviors such as begging, displacement of feeding spot, resistance of possessor, stealing, offering, and retrieving (Yamagiwa et al., 2015). Food transfer is mainly reported from apes, however, very few from genus macaca. Here we preliminary report food transfer behavior observed in stump-tailed macaques (Macaca arctoides) in Khao Krapuk Khao Taomor Non Hunting Area, Thailand. In this report, “Retrieving” - an individual takes food that another individual has dropped on the ground or placed there - is regarded as food transfer (see Yamagiwa et al., 2015). The aspect of transfer is different by the food item; transfer was more frequently occurred when they are eating food item that is not abundant and rare, or need to pay risk to obtain. Food transfer is often observed when monkeys are eating big food items which produce the food particles during eating. On the other hand, small food items or all-eatable food items are rarely transferred. Plant food transfer was observed not only among adults but also from adult to immature including transfer from mother to infant. Social interaction which can be interpreted as “Begging behavior” like presenting and greeting was also observed before food transfer occurred.
