Potential self-medication by brown titi monkeys, <i>Plecturocebus brunneus</i>, in an urban fragment forest in the Brazilian Amazon

In this study, we report fur-rubbing behavior of brown titi monkeys, Plecturocebus brunneus, using chewed leaves from (Fabaceae) and Piper tuberculatum (Piperaceae). These reports were obtained during systematic monitoring of titi monkeys from May until December 2019 (218 h) in an urban fragment forest in the Brazilian Amazon. Both plant species contain chemical substances in their leaves that potentially repel ectoparasites. The genus Piper is known for its repelling action due to the presence of amides, alkaloids and benzoic acid. The presence of dogs, cats and human settlements may contribute to an increase of ectoparasites, making a potential self-medication function of fur rubbing in this primate species plausible.

Fur-rubbing with Piper leaves in the San Martín titi monkey, Callicebus oenanthe

We report observations on fur-rubbing with leaves from Piper aduncum by a San Martín titi monkey, Callicebus oenanthe. Fur-rubbing occurred during the transition from the dry to the rainy season in a titi monkey group living in a forest fragment in the Moyobamba region of Peru. Since Piper leaves include very potent compounds that may affect ectoparasites, we tentatively interpret the observed fur-rubbing as self-medication.

Consumption of the bark of Albizia niopoides (Mimosaceae) by Sapajus cay Illiger, 1815 (Cebidae: Primates) in the Atlantic Forest fragment of Rancho Laguna Blanca in Eastern Paraguay

The majority of reports of self-medication in capuchins focus on fur-rubbing behaviours (Fragaszy et al., 2004; Paukner & Suomi, 2012; Meuner et al., 2008). Here, we report on observations of Hooded Capuchins in Rancho Laguna Blanca (RLB), feeding on the bark of the tree Albizia niopoides (Mimosaceae), a possible case of self-medication.

An observation of an unusual human-directed threat display by Sapajus cay Illiger, 1815 (Cebidae: Primates) in a fragment of Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest, eastern Paraguay

Here I report on an observation of an unusual threat display involving fur-rubbing with Citrus sp. leaves by an adult male hooded capuchin (Sapajus cay) in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest fragment of Rancho Laguna Blanca in eastern Paraguay.