MODELING MONKEYS - A COMPARISON OF COMPUTER-GENERATED AND NATURALLY-OCCURRING FORAGING PATTERNS IN 2 SPECIES OF NEOTROPICAL PRIMATES

We present a series of computer-generated foraging models (random move ment, olfactory navigation, and spatial memory) designed to examine th e manner in which sensory cues and cognitive skills might be used by r ainforest monkeys to locate patchily distributed feeding sites. These simulations are compared with data collected in the Amazon Basin of no rtheastern Peru on the foraging patterns of two species of neotropical primates the moustached tamarin monkey (Saguinus mystax) and the sadd le-back tamarin monkey (Saguinus fuscicollis). The results indicate th at, although tamarins may rely on olfactory cues to locate nearby feed ing sites, their foraging patterns are better explained by an ability to maintain a detailed spatial map of the location and distribution of hundreds of feeding trees in their home range. There is evidence chat such information is retained for a period of at least several week an d is used to minimize the distance traveled between widely scattered f eeding sites. The use of computer simulations provides a powerful rese arch tool for generating predictive models regarding the role of memoi r and sensory cues in animal foraging patterns.