LOCATION EFFECTS OF SOCIAL PARTNER ON EXPERIMENTAL FORAGING IN THE SQUIRREL-MONKEY

The effect of social context on experimental foraging in squirrel monk eys (Saimiri sciureus) was investigated. The 12 subjects comprised six pairs in which strong social preference and attraction had been demon strated during observations of a stable group. Individuals were first trained to discriminate spatially separated rich and poor foraging bin s containing 75% and 25% of the food items, respectively, with their p artners restrained equidistant from the two bins. The monkeys invested an average of 75.5% of their foraging time in the rich bin. Each indi vidual was then tested with its partner restrained in different locati ons relative to the bins to determine the effect of partner proximity on foraging patterns. Foraging efficiency at the start of a session wa s enhanced when the partner was restrained adjacent to the rich bin co mpared to restraint away from this bin. Over an entire foraging sessio n, however, all conditions providing partner accessibility were simila r in yielding enhanced foraging efficiency compared to partner absence . Little time was spent in close physical proximity to the partner und er any condition. It is suggested that accessibility of the social par tner, rather than close physical proximity, has an important influence on the foraging squirrel monkey. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.