川金丝猴食土行为的首次报道

摘要

This is the first report of geophagy by golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) as well as in the genus Rhinopithecus.Three adult females were seen ingesting clay during the long-term monitoring of a R.roxellana group inhabiting the Qinling Mountains of China.On all occasions,the females selected argillaceous rocks under a cliff near the provisioning area,licking the surface and ingesting attached clay.All events occurred in late autumn.Clay consumption in pregnant R.roxellana may serve a similar function as mineral supplementation.Although only three bouts of geophagy were observed in this study,such descriptive cases are very useful for a better understanding of dietary behavior in golden snubnosed monkeys,as well as for further comparison of geophagy among primate species with different life styles.%2001年10月至2008年3月,我们在对周至国家级自然保护区内秦岭川金丝猴(Rhinopithecus roxellana)的长期观察研究中发现3例成年雌性舔食泥质岩上粘土的行为.川金丝猴的食土行为均发生在深秋季节,所有食土雌性均处于怀孕期.我们初步推测川金丝猴的食土行为主要是为了补充矿物质.本文首次呈现川金丝猴食土行为的研究证据,对于进一步理解川金丝猴的食性具有一定意义,同时也为不同生活类型灵长类食土行为的比较分析提供支撑信息.