Sarah Turner, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, donnera la conférence "Behavioural Flexibility and Monkeys with Physical Impairments: Stories from the Awajishima Monkey Center".
What does it mean for an animal to have a physical disability? As human-induced environmental change increasingly impacts species and ecosystems in every part of the world, understanding behavioural flexibility and how animals cope with challenges can point to the selection pressures animals face and help us develop conservation strategies. Physical disabilities can drive wild and free-ranging animals to adjust their behaviours in order to solve daily challenges associated with survival, social living and reproduction. A group of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) on Awaji Island, Japan, provides a unique opportunity to examine behavioural flexibility and disability-associated behaviours in a free-ranging nonhuman primate species. Since 1967, about 16% of infants have been born with physical disabilities in the form malformations of the limbs and digits. In this seminar, I will tell the story of the Awajishima monkeys and illustrate it by presenting some data on two detailed examples of Japanese macaque behavioural flexibility - grooming and feeding styles.
Date : le jeudi 5 décembre 2019, 11 h 30
Lieu : salle C-3019, pavillon Lionel-Groulx