Mangabeys munching are a fun sight to see at the Houston Zoo. We have Red-capped mangabeys, native to central Africa; they are the most colorful of the mangabey species with a bright red “cap” on the top of their heads. These are very social animals that usually live in a harem, which consists of one male and several females and their offspring. These monkeys eat lots of fruits, nuts and leaves and occasionally bugs, small birds or lizards. When one member of the group finds a fruit or nut tree, they will alert the rest of the group where they are, so the entire group can have a snack too.
At the Houston Zoo, when the mangabeys see the keepers coming with their food, they will do a similar vocalization; we call it the “happy cackle” because they usually are excited about their food. In the wild, they usually cooperate and can sit together eating food peacefully, but in captivity, sometimes they aren’t too keen to share (especially the males – for some reason they think they should get all the good food! – sound familiar?), so keepers have to make sure to spread the food around as much as possible so that all group members get an equal share of the food and to prevent any “arguments”. Also, mothers will often share their food with their offspring, so they can learn what is good to eat and what isn’t.
Often keepers will hide some of the food, so the monkeys have to spend time finding their food, we call that foraging. In the wild, monkeys spend many hours foraging for food, so keepers try to recreate that in captivity. Sometimes the food can be hidden in pine bark, a paper bag, or in a cardboard box to name a few; it will be something different everyday.
When the mangabeys aren’t eating they are engaging in lots of social behaviors. When you visit the exhibit, you will most likely see them grooming
each other. Grooming isn’t just for removing dirt (and no, they don’t have fleas –those are just on dogs and cats) it is also very socially bonding. A subordinate animal will gain favors by grooming a more dominate animal. The mangabeys also have a strict social order and when one of the subordinate animals steps ‘over the line’ the dominate animal will have to discipline them; usually by way of chasing and screaming…you may have seen that too since it happens several times a day. Next time you are at the zoo, spend 15-20 minutes watching them; there’s a lot going on with the mangabeys…in addition to munching!
Written by Dena Strange, Houston Zoo Primate Supervisor
Baby pudu. Pretty Cute! Photo Credit: Belfast Zoo
