Understanding the Working Primate: An Ethogram of Jon, a Southern Pig-Tailed Macaque - Macaca Nemestrina

Abstract

A study of Southern Pig Tailed Macaque in human community was conducted in Kijal, Malaysia. The study aimed to document how this species responds to commands of performing one of the riskiest and most break-necking tasks, plucking coconut. An ethogram of Macaca Nemestina was constructed by characterising and defining the behavioral patterns of this species dealing with the task given. A series of observations amounting to 28 visits with a total of 52 hours (3120 minutes) was made. There were four phases of observation conducted starting from 15 August 2019 to 3 December 2019 between 0800 and 1700 hours. It was found that the monkey is a smart animal that managed to duly perform its duty based on few rudiment utterances of sound system/vocabulary and some other repetitious forms of non-verbal communication. The ethogram of the pig-tail macaque and its coconut plucking activity is presented here for the first time.