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Predation is widely recognized as a powerful selective pressure on primate behavior and ecology, although knowledge of predator–prey relationships remains limited partly due to the rarity of directly observed attacks on primates. Here, we describe four confirmed or suspected instances of leopard (Panthera pardus) predation on free-ranging Sichuan (golden) snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana), a highly endangered colobine species endemic to China. We recorded predation events and the reactions of monkey group members. We suggest that the evolution of a multilevel society may be an adaptive response by Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys to the risk from leopards as well as other potential predators, one that balances the pressures of predation and intra-species competition and conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) is a typical arboreal group-living Old-World primate and has been studied broadly in hand preference. However, infants have not been tested independently from other immature individuals to date. The purpose of the present study was to investigate hand preference in a spontaneously unimanual feeding task in nine infants at 12 months and the relationship of hand preference with their parents in R. roxellanae. Most infants (89%) showed individual-level hand preference. No correlation was found in the direction of hand preference between infant and its parents, and a significant negative correlation in the strength of hand preference was found between infants and their mothers (r = −0.715, p = 0.03). Moreover, there was no sex difference in the direction and strength of hand preference both in infants and adults (i.e., parents). Meanwhile, the strength of hand preference in adults was stronger than that in infants. This study is a first and preliminary exploration for the expression of hand preference in R. roxellanae infants and whether their hand preference was influenced by familial inheritance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]