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Open research questions in Primate Behavior and Ecology

54 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,313 Primate Behavior and Ecology papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Why male primates invest in costly behaviours producing public goods remains debated, with two leading explanations, paternal care and reputation-based partner choice (RBPC).

    Beyond paternal care: career stage and reproductive opportunities shape male services in vervet monkeys · 2026 · DOI

  • The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), a small monkey native to Brazil, has been used as a biomedical model in the United States (US) since the 1950s, yet the origins, genomic diversity, and population structure of current colonies remain poorly defined.

    Census and genetic analysis of the United States marmoset population · 2026 · DOI

  • Resting metabolic rate (RMR) underpins energy allocation to survival, reproduction, and longevity, yet its drivers in highly structured social systems remain unclear.

    Allometric scaling and social modulation of resting metabolic rate in a eusocial mammal ( <i>Heterocephalus glaber</i> ) · 2026 · DOI

  • Primates play key ecological roles in this ecosystem, yet their distribution in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba (MRC) remains poorly documented, and studies shows a historical bias toward brown howler monkeys ( Alouatta guariba ).

    Primates in the Endangered Araucaria Pine Forest of the Largest City of Southern Brazil: A Current Overview · 2025 · DOI

  • To date, few studies have specifically attempted to estimate developmental milestones in a manner comparable to the human literature, and existing studies lack sufficient sample sizes to estimate which milestones are more plastic with higher inter-individual variation in the timing of their emergence.

    Systematic mapping of developmental milestones in wild chimpanzees · 2020 · DOI

  • , the number and association patterns of group members as well as the nature and patterning of their social relationships, but the dimensions of social complexity, the processes that generate it, the selective forces that engender different levels of social complexity, and the evolutionary consequences of this variation remain to be comprehensively understood.

    A framework for studying social complexity · 2019 · DOI

  • At the time of the only review on the sunk cost effect across species (Arkes & Ayton, 1999), research with nonhuman animals had been ecological in its nature, and the findings about the effect of past investments on current choice were inconclusive.

    The sunk cost effect across species: A review of persistence in a course of action due to prior investment · 2016 · DOI

  • Although the degree to which early hominins ate meat remains controversial, here we reevaluate the notion, originally suggested by Schaller and Lowther in 1969, that mammalian carnivores can shed light on human origins.

    Evolution of Cooperation among Mammalian Carnivores and Its Relevance to Hominin Evolution · 2012 · DOI

  • However, position in situations where exten- lesioned that they are making many errors in a discrimination had not been assessed previously perseveration intervals yielded performance sion of delay monkeys are impaired in delayed they develop (Pribram, Ahumada, Hartog, & Ross, 1964).

    Short-term memory in the stumptail macaque: Effect of physical restraint of behavior on performance · 1970 · DOI

  • W e could not determine whether sucking behavior appeared automatically and full fledged, or whether swallowing and sucking responses were set off when milk was acci- dentally secured through the biting behavior. O n the other hand, in the face of this contradictory evidence, it must be pointed out that there is much behavior in the complex mother-baby relationship which we are unable to explain in so simple and mechanistic a manner.

    Behavior and Maternal Care of the Newborn Monkey: (Macaca Mulatta—“M. Rhesus”) · 1932 · DOI

  • All subjects performed these longer trials perfectly, thus indicating that the double alterna- tion of responses in these subjects was not limited to the length of the training series. ” T h e exact time relationship of this behavior and the solution of the problem is not yet known.

    The Double Alternation Problem: III. The Behavior of Monkeys in a Double Alternation Box-Apparatus · 1931 · DOI

  • How naturally occurring ELA shapes behavior in non-captive animals remains poorly understood.

    Early life adversity shapes adult behavior in a free-ranging primate · 2026 · DOI

  • However, behavioral profiles of aged laboratory-housed degus remain incompletely characterized, limiting the interpretation of aging-associated functional and molecular phenotypes in this species.

    Age-Associated Behavioral Alterations in Laboratory-Housed Octodon degus · 2026 · DOI

  • Abstract Winners of aggressive intergroup encounters are often assumed to benefit from increased access to resources, but few studies have measured whether there is differential access to resources based on the intergroup outcome.

    Foraging benefits of winning intergroup encounters in colobus monkeys · 2026 · DOI

  • These findings highlight the complexity of primate body weight as a plastic phenotype and the need for further research on climate and ecogeographical rules.

    Rapid weight increases in a primate population: evidence of a plastic response to climate change? · 2026 · DOI

  • Abstract Climate-change-associated decreases in body weight are often predicted because of changing thermoregulatory costs in warmer environments, but evidence for and mechanisms underlying such changes remain elusive.

    Rapid weight increases in a primate population: evidence of a plastic response to climate change? · 2026 · DOI

  • Research has been conducted often on postcranial trauma, but is rare regarding the craniofacial region and has not been examined broadly across primates.

    Primate craniofacial trauma and its relationship to socioecological factors · 2026

  • Because observations were limited to a subset of identified individuals between May andAugust, sex-bias results are preliminary and future year-round sampling is needed.

    Stone tool use in a new population of semi-free-ranging robust capuchins (Sapajus spp.) at Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary, South Africa · 2026 · DOI

  • The presence of multiple haplotypes in the sampled individuals may indicate the absence of a recent severe bottleneck; however, this inference is limited by the small sample size and should be considered preliminary (Dixo et al.

    Mitochondrial D-Loop Analysis Reveals High Haplotype Diversity in the Belitung Tarsier (<i>Cephalopachus bancanus saltator</i>) · 2026 · DOI

  • The arboreal camera trap approach is particularly valuable for isolated or reintroduced populations where rapid assessment of survival and reproductive success is critical, but further development of this application is needed to inform management strategies.

    Arboreal Camera Trap-based Insights into the Activity, Resource Use, and Demography of Black Lion Tamarins (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) and Sympatric Mammals in Atlantic Forest Fragments · 2026 · DOI

  • Methodological constraints such as increased false triggers caused by wind-driven vegetation limit the effectiveness of arboreal camera trap monitoring.

    Arboreal Camera Trap-based Insights into the Activity, Resource Use, and Demography of Black Lion Tamarins (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) and Sympatric Mammals in Atlantic Forest Fragments · 2026 · DOI

  • Results indicate that students and teachers had limited knowledge about the evolved human capacity for cooperation around shared resources in small groups, most often viewing chimpanzees as more capable of cooperation and sustainable resource use.

    Are Humans a Cooperative Species? Challenges & Opportunities for Teaching the Evolution of Human Prosociality · 2021 · DOI

  • Zoos typically have a large and consistent visitor presence, and researchers report mixed findings regarding the effects of the visiting public on the behavior of resident primates.

    Understanding the Behavior of Sanctuary-Housed Chimpanzees During Public Programs · 2020 · DOI

  • Because our study adds to the growing literature of corvids failing the mirror mark test, the issue of mirror self-recognition in these birds remains controversial.

    Carrion crows (Corvus corone corone) fail the mirror mark test yet again. · 2020 · DOI

  • The question as to how these abilities have evolved in the primate lineage remains open to debate, particularly because studies based on apes are scarce and controversial.

    Social basis of vocal interactions in western lowland gorillas (Gorilla g. gorilla). · 2018 · DOI

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54 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 1,313 Primate Behavior and Ecology papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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