Infant cannibalism in wild white-faced capuchin monkeys

Cannibalism has been observed in a variety of animal taxa, however, it is
relatively uncommon in primates. Thus we rely heavily on case reports of
this behavior to advance our understanding of the contexts under which it
occurs. Here we report the first observation of cannibalism in a group of
wild white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus imitator). The subject was a dead
infant, estimated to be 10 days old, and the probable victim of
infanticide. Consumption of the corpse was initiated by a 2-year-old male
(second cousin of the infant), though it was eventually taken over and
monopolized by the group’s alpha female (grandaunt of the infant).
Although most group members expressed interest in the corpse (sniffing,
touching, threatening it), no others made an attempt to consume it. Given
that this is the only observation of cannibalism recorded in over 37 years
of study on this population, we consider it to be a rare behavior in this
species. This detailed record contributes new data, which, when combined
with other reports within and across species and contexts, enables the
evaluation of adaptive explanations of cannibalism.