Articles | Volume 9, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/pb-9-7-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/pb-9-7-2022
Research article
 | 
17 May 2022
Research article |  | 17 May 2022

Fur rubbing in Plecturocebus cupreus – an incidence of self-medication?

Gurjit K. Theara, Juan Ruíz Macedo, Ricardo Zárate Gómez, Eckhard W. Heymann, and Sofya Dolotovskaya

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Cited articles

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Bowler, M., Messer, E. J., Claidière, N., and Whiten, A.: Mutual medication in capuchin monkeys–Social anointing improves coverage of topically applied anti-parasite medicines, Sci. Rep., 5, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep15030, 2015. 
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Short summary
As part of our study on coppery titi monkeys in the Peruvian Amazon, we observed an individual rubbing his belly with leaves from a potentially medicinal plant. He climbed down from high above and grabbed a handful of leaves from an understory tree, which made it look like a deliberate action. Sitting on a liana he then chewed on the leaves before rubbing them slowly on his belly for a couple of minutes. The plant genus is known in traditional medicine and is used for various effects.