Primate Update E-Newsletter, Vol. 4, Issue 2, Part 3

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Special Topic: Intern Mary
Factors influencing spider monkey habitat use and ranging patterns


Spider monkeys rely on several resources for their survival. They require access to water, protection from predators, proper sleeping sites, and a warm climate. However, the most essential resource to spider monkeys is food. The distribution and abundance of food is the greatest factor influencing the habitat use and ranging patterns of spider monkeys. The average diet of a spider monkey consists predominantly of ripe fruits and spider monkeys will travel over two thousand meters a day to access this essential resource. With several factors capable of influencing the availability of ripe fruit, it is no surprise that a group of spider monkeys requires a large range.

The average habitat range for a group of spider monkeys is between 150-350 hectares. Although this range is large it is not uniformly used and monkeys have been seen spending up to 80% of their time in just one area within that range. The preferred habitat of spider monkeys consists of the upper and mid-level canopy of semi-deciduous tropical forest. Due to the risk of predation it is rare for spider monkeys to be seen in the dense lower canopy levels where visibility is poor. Poor visibility increases the risk of grabbing thorns, being bitten by venomous snakes or insects, as well as the threat of being ambushed by predators. The height of the canopy allows the monkeys greater visibility, which is key in protecting themselves from predators such as jaguars and pumas.

At Pacific Primate Sanctuary we have installed several high shelves, which Carlos and Montana use throughout the daylight hours, where they survey the entire property.

Carlos and Montana sit high on a platform, 

where they have the best visibility

We also planted an assortment of vegetation in their enclosure, similar to the plants found in their natural habitat. The vegetation is maintained at a variety of elevations— allowing the monkeys to experience the variation in canopy heights, simulating a rainforest environment. Carlos and Montana have access to both high upper canopy and a dense understory. Providing both monkeys with a variety of fresh fruits, along with other food items, on a daily basis means they do not need to travel a great distance in search of food or water.

-Campbell, Christina J. Spider Monkeys: Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution of the Genus Ateles (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology). UK. Cambridge University Press. 2008.



Special Topic: Intern Annabel:
A Study on Aging in Marmosets

Marmosets are small-bodied new world primates that are found in the upper canopies of forests in South America. The average life span of a wild common marmoset is 12 years. In captivity common marmosets can live up to 18 years (Bowdon, 1979). When the majority of our marmosets and tamarins came to PPS, they were young individuals. Over the years they have aged and we are now faced with the challenge of looking after and caring for elderly monkeys. Some of the monkeys are starting to require specialized care to help them maintain their health and independence as they age. As marmosets age they become more prone to cardiac and renal failure. Some develop arthritis and find it harder to climb. They lose fat mass and require heat lamps to keep them warm at night (Tardif et al, 2008). They share a very similar aging process to humans and are the most common animal used in human aging studies. As marmosets age they develop heart conditions, arthritis, and other common ailments observed in humans as they age. The patterns of their life and aging process mirror ours (Ross et al, 2004).

Echo uses her jungle walkway

It is a new challenge here at PPS to keep the monkeys active and happy when they reach their twilight years. The elderly monkeys are provided with heat lamps and extra blankets for warmth during the night. Echo, one of the aged cotton top tamarins rescued from a laboratory, was born in 1995. She has developed arthritis as she has grown older and can no longer climb or jump well. Past caregivers built her family a jungle walkway and installed steps, ladders, and platforms in order to allow her to access to her greenroom and all the other areas and features of her enclosure. Her mate Apollo is the same age and also makes full use of the walkway to get around. In contrast, there is Bruno, a white tufted marmoset, who is the oldest PPS marmoset at 18 years old. He is still in excellent health with no mobility problems, and is able to keep up with his younger mate.

It is our aim at PPS to give the monkeys a safe and happy home until the end of their days. With a sizeable amount of our population getting older, it is important to provide for their extra medical and housing needs and find out how we can enrich and preserve their lives, keeping them as healthy as possible for as long as they live.

-Bowdon D. M. Aging in Non Human Primates, 1979
-Ross C, Davis K, Dobek G, Tardif S, Aging Phenotypes of Common Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), 2004
-Tardif S, Araujo A, Arruda M, French J, Sousa M, Yamamoto M. Reproduction and Aging in marmosets and Tamarins, 2008
-Tardif S, keith G, Mansfiels, Ratnam R, Ross C, Zieger T, The Marmoset as a Model of Agine and Age-Related Diseases, 2008


Special Topic: Intern Linda
Marmosets and Tamarins Chapter 7: The social organization of marmosets: a critical evaluation of recent concepts

This chapter explores the social aspects and organization of marmosets. The information is important and useful to the caregivers at PPS due to its relevance to colony management. We try to pair the marmosets and tamarins at the sanctuary based on individual personalities and their past history. We have also found that background knowledge of social organization is beneficial to finding the best pairing options. Primate groups are organized according to different classification levels. Following is a list of 3 different social classification levels:

• Sociographic level: Any group that has more than one member of either sex, is classified as a sociographic level group. This includes monogynandrous (one male/one female- mated pair), polyandrous (female has multiple male mates), polygnous (male has multiple female mates), polygynandrous (multiple males and females) or isosexual (same sex).

• Sociosexual level: This level includes only members who are sexually and reproductively active; differentiates between males and females.

• Genetic level: Non-related male/ female pair and offspring (Family); Family plus at least 1 unrelated member (Group).

A white tufted ear marmoset family

In nature, in complete and undisturbed marmoset and tamarin families, both the male and female are monogamous. In captive groups, however, this is not always the case. From captive studies it was found that in groups that are formed experimentally with more than one unrelated adult of either sex, all groups are polygamous. The studies also discovered that families are unwilling to include sub adult or adult strangers, and groups remained stable longer after loss of the alpha female compared to the loss of the alpha male.

-Rylands, A.B. Marmosets and Tamarins. Systematics, Behavior, and Ecology. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1993.

“Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

We hope you have enjoyed this issue of Pacific Primate Sanctuary’s E-Newsletter. Thank you for your support of our life saving work. Because of compassionate people, the Sanctuary can continue to provide a place of peace and happiness for 70 primates saved from research laboratories, animal dealers, and tourist attractions. Here they can heal, form families, and live free from exploitation.

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