The risk of playing: vigilance during playful episodes of wild Callithrix jacchus
Common marmoset, behavior, play behavior
Games consist of an enigmatic behavior widely spread across species, mainly performed by immature individuals. Although it is not a decisive factor in an animal's survival, it is closely related to the development of physical, motor, cognitive and social skills. Despite the many benefits, playing is a highly costly behavior, as it requires high energy expenditure. In addition to opposing behaviors related to immediate survival, such as foraging. Additionally, there are possible risks to participants, such as injuries resulting from falls and increased risk of predation as a result of decreased responsiveness of the individuals involved, making them vulnerable. One way to mitigate predatory risks is surveillance, presenting itself as a strategy that favors the identification of possible threats in advance, enabling a more appropriate response to a dangerous situation. Therefore, this study intends to investigate how playing behavior, as a risky behavior, influences the frequency of surveillance of adults outside the playful episodes. To this end, behavioral data were collected through instantaneous scanning and focal animal sampling in two groups of white-tufted marmosets in the Caatinga environment. This study will provide information on non-explicit social behaviors, such as risk perception, contributing to the ethological understanding of white-tufted marmosets and other primate species.