RELATIVE TASTE PREFERENCES FOR FOOD-ASSOCIATED SUGARS IN THE SPIDER MONKEY (ATELES-GEOFFROYI)

The purpose of the present study was to determine relative taste prefe rences for five food-associated sugars in Ateles geoffroyi. Using two- solution choice tests of brief duration (5 min) four adult spider monk eys were given the choice between all binary combinations of sucrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, and maltose presented in equimolar concent rations of 20, 50, 100, and 200 mM respectively. Preferences for indiv idual sugars were stable across the concentrations tested and indicate an order of relative effectiveness (sucrose>fructose>glucose greater than or equal to lactose greater than or equal to maltose) which is si milar to results obtained with the same method in the squirrel monkey and to findings on relative sweetness in man. These results support th e assumption that the order of relative effectiveness of the sugars un der investigation found in the present study may represent a general p attern of preference in frugivorous and perhaps all primates.