Prey foraging behavior in the Black Lion Tamarin, Leontopithecus chrysopygus (Mikan, 1823) was observed in the Caetetus Ecological Station, southeastern Brazil, during 550 hours of direct observations between December 1993 and February 1995. The scan sampling method was used to gather data. These tamarins use manipulative, specific-site foraging behavior. When searching for animal prey items, they examine a variety of microhabitats. The most important microhabitat used for prey foraging behavior was tree cavities (41% of the foraging observations), but palm trees (22%), bamboo (12%), vines (11%), bark (5%), seed pods of the "jequitiba" tree (4%), other places (3%) and epiphytes (2%) were also observed. Animal preys were frequently captured in understory (71.6%, n = 96) and in middle layers (21.6%, n = 29), but infrequently in the canopy (5.9%, n = 8) and in the ground (0.7%, n = 1). Prey foraging behavior showed a similar pattern to that observed for animal prey captured: 54.9% (n = 380) in understory, 35.5% (n = 246) in middle layers, 8.9% (n = 62) in the canopy and 0.6% (n = 4) in the ground. Thus, the understory and middle layers are the most important foraging areas. Also, apparently only L. chrysopygus, among the genus Leontopithecus, has adapted to areas with strong seasonality of climate and resources.
Mammalia Leontopithecus chrysopygus; black lion tamarin; foraging behavior; microhabitats; seasonality; primates