%0 Journal Article %A LI Ming %A WEI Fuwen %A REN Baoping %T Preliminary study on digging and eating underground plant corms by wild Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys at Tacheng,Yunnan,China %D 2008 %R %J ACTA THERIOLOGICA SINICA %P 237-241 %V 28 %N 3 %X We followed a free-ranging group of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopitheucs bieti)at Tacheng,Yunnan,March 2006 to May 2007,to investigate its habitat use. We observed some individuals excavating for something on the ground along the daily travel pathway. Further investigation using photography revealed that such behavior resulted in obtaining plant corms. We used multi-focal animal sampling to investigate sex-age class differences in digging behavior. We compared time-spent for each digging bout and acquisition rate of corms,frequency of digging behaviors among different age-sex classes. Adult males obtained plant corms more easily than other age-sex categories. We found no significant differences between adult males and adult females in time-spent digging. Subadult males showed a distinct digging pattern,with shorter time-spent and more frequent site-transfer than adult males and females. Monkeys did not share corms with others, although some individuals displayed scramble behavior. An adult female with its new born was also observed to dig for the corm,but no acquisition was recorded. %U http://www.mammal.cn/EN/abstract/article_2202.shtml