Difficulties of Observation of Forest-Dwelling Primates and Antipredator Strategies
Difficultés d'observation des primates forestiers et stratégies antiprédateur
Résumé
Difficulties of observation of wild primates depends on several but intricate factors such as the optical density of the milieu and the shyness of species is linked with the strength of the anthropic &/or natural predation pressure exerted against species. Some have evolved antagonistics & more or less reversible antipredator strategies which reduce the risk of predation such as : i) Polyspecific troops formed by arboreal forms which enhanced detection and deterrence of predators (Struhsaker 1981 ; Gautier-Hion & al 1983 ; Cords 1990 ; Peres 1993 ; Noe & Bsary 1997), or Alternatively, ii) cryptic or freezing behaviors displayed by terrestrial forms which reduced the detection by both predators & human observers (Hall 1968 ; Gautier-Hion & Gautier 1978). Quantitative data on the terrestrial sun-tailed guenon (C. solatus), gathered during a long term study in the central Gabon (Gautier et al. In prep), exemplified these phenomenom's in spite of the radio-tracking use. Habituation of wild groups through a tamed individual used as a buffer (Fleury & Gautier, in press) will seem to constitute one possibility to solve this problem.