For spider monkeys, social grooming comes with a cost
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - 21:00
in Biology & Nature
Social grooming, or helping others to stay clean and free of lice and other ecto-parasites, has long been associated with hygiene and good health in wild primates. In the process of picking out ecto-parasites, however, the groomers may be picking up internal ones, a new study finds. The results of the study on critically endangered brown spider monkeys show that physical contact is associated with the spread of several common gastrointestinal parasites.