title: Innovative coconut-opening in a semi free-ranging rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta): A case report on behavioral propensities.
abstract: The present case report provides a description of the emergence of an innovative, highly beneficial for- aging behavior in a single rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) on the island of Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. Selectively choosing the island's cement dock and nearby surrounding rocky terrain, our focal subject (ID: 84 J) opens coconuts using two types of underhand tosses: (1) a rolling motion to move it, and (2) a throwing motion up in the air to crack the shell. We discuss this innovative behavior in light of species-specific behavioral propensities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138.
authors.forename: Jordan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Comins
authors.forename: Brian E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Russ
authors.forename: Kelley A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Humbert
authors.forename: Marc D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Hauser