Responses by Red-Bellied Tamarins (Saguinus labiatus) to Fecal Scents of Predatory and Non-predatory Neotropical Mammals

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Abstract
Adult and subadult red-bellied tamarins (Saguinus labiatus) were tested for responses to the odors of predatory and non-predatory neotropical mammals. MEthylene chloride extracts of the feces of the jaguar (Panthera onca), margay (Felis wiedi), jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), tapir (Tapirus terrestris), paca (Cuniculus paca), and agouti (Dasyprocta fuliginosa) were presented to tamarins on wooden dowels in their enclosures. Untreated dowels and dowels treated with methylene chloride served as controls. Chemicals from predators elicited more sniffing and avoidance than did those of the non-predators or controls. The tamarins gave alarm calls to margay scent, a response not observed with the other extracts. The response to predator chemicals were exhibited by captive-born individuals, suggesting that experience with a predator is not necessary for tamarins to distinguish between the fecal scents of predatory and non-predatory species.