捕食被广泛认为是对灵长类动物行为和生态的强大选择压力，尽管对捕食者-猎物关系的了解仍然有限，部分原因是很少直接观察到对灵长类动物的攻击。这里,我们描述了四只确认或怀疑的豹子（Pantherapardus）在自由放养的四川（金）金丝猴（Rhinopithecusroxellana）上的捕食实例，中国特有的一种高度濒危的科洛宾物种。我们记录了捕食事件和猴子组成员的反应。我们认为，多层次社会的演变可能是四川金丝猴对豹子和其他潜在捕食者的风险的适应性反应。平衡捕食和物种内竞争和冲突的压力。
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.
