Free-ranging Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys Rhinopithecus roxellana: Neophobia, neophilia, or both?

Abstract

Abstract We studied the responsiveness of the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey Rhinopithecus roxellana, an arboreal Old World monkey, to the presence of novel stimuli associated with familiar food. We also determined differences in responses by age and sex. Results showed that monkeys exhibited neophilia and neophobia simultaneously when facing novel stimuli. Age affected the response to novel stimuli significantly, with immature individuals responding to novel stimuli most frequently and infants least frequently. No significant differences were observed for sex, although females were more responsive to the novel object than were males. Our results support the “readiness to eat” hypothesis that the presence of a novel object can increase latencies to consume familiar food.