Phase Two with the Lemurs

Female crowned lemur participant Tasherit

                                              

                                                              Phase Two with the Lemurs

Phase Two with the lemurs was similar to Phase Two with the monkeys, however the lemurs seemed even less excited to be receiving the boxes again on Day One than the monkeys haha. ("This again?") However, the three female ring-tailed lemurs were even more bossy toward the subservient male ring-tailed lemur, making sure they got priority with the boxes over him. So they definitely seem more familiar with the fact that the boxes contain food.

Just as observed in the red-tailed monkeys, there were lots of instances of the lemurs actively choosing blue boxes over yellow. For example, when the keepers put down some of the boxes, a lemur(s) would run over to a blue one, ignoring the yellow one nearby. As this choosing of blue over yellow would often happen from quite far away, to me this was evidence that the lemurs had learned the blue boxes contained treats, while the yellow remained empty. However, just like the monkeys, they would occasionally open a yellow one, seemingly in hopes that there may just be food inside this time. This would most often happen after the blue boxes had all been opened and foraged from.

Ring-tailed lemur participant Christina

Interestingly, throughout this second phase, there was much more box engagement from the crowned lemurs --- perhaps due to factors such as being more familiar with the boxes and knowing even more so that they mean food, and less protection of the boxes by the ring-tailed lemurs, as they are no longer as novel and exciting as they were in the first phase.

Crowned lemur participant Horos

Also as observed in the first phase, the lemurs are much more likely to share with one another than the monkeys and did so frequently. Especially the three female ring-tailed lemurs with one another. (The three ring-tailed lemurs are mother and daughters, and so are the three female red-tailed monkeys). In fact, I can only recall one or two instances of the red-tailed monkeys ever cooperatively foraging from the same box. The crowned lemur couple also frequently shared a box together.

On the last (fourth) day of Phase Two, no yellow boxes were opened and the yellow boxes were extremely ignored, while the blue boxes were all opened quickly and visited repeatedly.