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Howling monkeys are aptly named, because their calls can often
be heard for miles (HEAR
A MANTLED HOWLER). Contrary to what's often reported in the
literature, howlers feed on a variety of foods, including leaves, fruit,
and flowers, and their diets will vary depending on the season and even
the microhabitat. Unlike many primates, howlers also spend much of their
day sleeping after their meals. Because of their varied diet, they are
a great model for relationships between tooth wear and diet.
The Howler Project is a joint effort led by Dr. Ken Glander from Duke
University, and Dr. Mark Teaford from Johns Hopkins University. It is
based at a site known as La Pacifica - a cattle ranch that has now been
largely converted to rice and fish farming. Fortunately, the patches of
forest that support the howlers have remained in place. As the site is
in the heart of Costa Rica's Guanacaste region, it has marked wet and
dry seasons. With NSF support for a new project led by Dr. Susan Williams
from Ohio University and Dr. Chris Vinyard from NEOUCOM, research teams
will be working down there twice a year, in the dry season in February,
and the wet season in July.
All researchers are housed in cabins at or near the site. Students
collect behavioral data on the monkeys and assist in capturing, tagging
and releasing the howlers after dental impressions, biological samples,
and body measurements have been taken. La Pacifica has proven to be a
wonderful first step in the field training of many primatologists (essentially,
if you can't hack the "rigors" of fieldwork at La Pacifica,
you'd better try another discipline!). The relatively low forest canopy
and thin underbrush allow individual howlers, or groups of howlers, to
be observed and followed. As most animals are already tagged (with adult
females wearing collars and adult males wearing anklets), specific individuals
can be captured and released to monitor any number of biological factors.
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