Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, China.
Department of Psychology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
Primates. 2023 Nov;64(6):589-594. doi: 10.1007/s10329-023-01084-7. Epub 2023 Aug 9.
Predation is widely recognized as a powerful selective pressure on primate behavior and ecology, although knowledge of predator-prey relationships remains limited partly due to the rarity of directly observed attacks on primates. Here, we describe four confirmed or suspected instances of leopard (Panthera pardus) predation on free-ranging Sichuan (golden) snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana), a highly endangered colobine species endemic to China. We recorded predation events and the reactions of monkey group members. We suggest that the evolution of a multilevel society may be an adaptive response by Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys to the risk from leopards as well as other potential predators, one that balances the pressures of predation and intra-species competition and conflict.
捕食被广泛认为是对灵长类动物行为和生态学的强大选择压力，尽管由于直接观察到的灵长类动物攻击的罕见性，对捕食者-猎物关系的了解仍然有限。在这里，我们描述了四起确认或疑似的豹子（Panthera pardus）捕食野生四川（金丝）仰鼻猴（Rhinopithecus roxellana）的事件，四川（金丝）仰鼻猴是一种高度濒危的中国特有叶猴物种。我们记录了捕食事件和猴群成员的反应。我们认为，多层次社会的进化可能是四川仰鼻猴对豹子和其他潜在捕食者的风险的一种适应性反应，这种进化平衡了捕食和种内竞争与冲突的压力。
