title: Diet of a free-ranging group of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) in eastern Brazilian Amazonia.
abstract: The feeding behaviour of free-ranging Saimiri sciureus was monitored over a 6-month period in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. Behavioural data were collected in scan samples (7-9 days per month), and fruit and arthropod availability were recorded monthly. A total of 3,546 feeding records were collected, divided between reproductive plant parts (55.1%) and arthropods (44.9%). The majority of identified prey were orthopterans and lepidopterans, and 10 of the 23 plant species exploited were Leguminosae and Sapotaceae. The diet varied progressively between August (20.0% plant, 80.0% animal) and January (79.7% plant, 20.3% animal). This shift accompanied an increase in the number of fruiting trees and evidence of declining arthropod availability. This included a marked reduction in foraging success and increasing consumption of immature prey. Overall, the data indicate that Amazonian squirrel monkeys may be relatively frugivorous during periods when prey is scarce.
authors.affiliation: Departamente de Psicologia Experimental, Universidade Federal do Pará, Ciaxa Postal 8607, 66.075-900 Belém, Brazil. eldianne@bol.com.br
authors.forename: Eldianne M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Stephen F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Ferrari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001181:Arthropods / Q000145:classification; D001938:Brazil; D004032:Diet; D017753:Ecosystem; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D008297:Male; D010944:Plants; D012453:Saimiri / Q000502:physiology*; D012621:Seasons