Primate Update 8/13

Insights from PPS Operations Manager, Erin
Eco-Living and Conscious Consumerism:  BE THE CHANGE!

I came to Pacific Primate Sanctuary because I wanted to help animals, and do something positive in a world that is suffering.  This beautiful planet that we live on is being destroyed- many species are on the brink of extinction, rainforests (including the native habitat of the monkeys at PPS) are diminishing at a rate of 32 million acres (an area the size of Costa Rica) per year, chemicals are being added to our food supply, the oceans are littered with trash, and our natural resources are dwindling.

This destruction is occurring on a global level, and often seems so far removed from our daily lives that we feel powerless to do anything about it.  In reality, we all make choices every day that have an effect on the world, including how we utilize our resources, what companies we support, and which products we purchase and use.                                              

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”            ― Jane Goodall

The definition of green living is: any action or activity that results in a positive impact, to any degree, on the environment so that the planet can continue to support future generations.  The Hawaiians say “Malama ‘Aina, Malama Kanaka”, which in English means: Take care of the Land and the Land will take care of you.                                                                                          

I have been focusing on adopting a “greener” lifestyle to reduce my impact on the land.  I am making an effort to decrease my water and electricity usage, utilize reusable items instead of single-use items, recycle, eliminate cleaners with toxic chemicals, and make better choices about the products that I buy and use. “Conscious Consumerism” focuses on supporting companies that are in alignment with your values, and avoiding companies that are in opposition. Specifically, I always look for companies that don’t test on animals, don’t use chemicals or palm oil in their products, and are fair trade.

One person making these choices and changes may not seem to have a huge impact, but the more we spread the word, and the more people that begin to live a “green lifestyle”, the greater impact we will have.  Together, we can begin to heal the damage we have inflicted, and return the world to a state of equilibrium.  The following websites contain tips and ideas to help us move in that direction:

http://www.ecocycle.org/ecoliving         http://www.greenlivingonline.com/           http://www.goodguide.com/

WHAT’S HAPPENING at PPS

An Abundance of Fruit

Pacific Primate Sanctuary is located in a lush tropical rainforest, very similar to the native forests of the monkeys in our care. The diet of wild monkeys varies greatly throughout the year as the seasonal fruiting patterns change. Ripe fruits are a favored food item because of their high water, sugar and nutrient content, and monkeys feast upon fresh fruits when they can. This means that sometimes they have a wide variety of fruits to eat, other times they are limited to just one of two varieties.  When fruit is scarce, other food items, such as leaves, flowers, nuts, insects and tree gums form the basis of the diet.

The Sanctuary property is planted with an abundance of fruiting trees, which all ripen at different times throughout the year, replicating the natural food patterns of wild monkeys.  Right now, we are in the midst of a fruit explosion! 

The monkeys have been enjoying the wide variety of fruits that are currently available, including banana, passion fruit, figs, breadfruit, papaya,guava, pineapple guava, Surinam cherries, Poha berries and avocado.  As summer comes to a close, and we move into fall and winter, we will see a shift in the available food sources. The citrus trees will soon be producing an abundance of new fruit for the primates.

WAYS YOU CAN HELP the MONKEYS at PPS

 Pacific Primate Sanctuary is a small community of volunteers, doing a big job.  We spend very little on fundraising and nothing on administration. Your donations go directly to caring for the animals!

 The monkeys depend upon the support of compassionate people for their survival. Please help the Sanctuary protect the lives of these threatened beings and preserve their species.

 

Give the Gift of Your Service and Volunteer Your Time
We are looking for mature team players who are willing to make a long-term commitment to the Sanctuary. Retirees are most welcome.  Please e-mail us at pps@aloha.net if you are interested in any of these positions and joining the PPS Team.

How to Donate Directly
We deeply appreciate your continued partnership. You, and your family and friends, can make tax-deductible donations to the Sanctuary on our Website: www.pacificprimate.org and on FaceBook, using PayPal, or by sending a check to:

Pacific Primate Sanctuary
500-A Haloa Road
Haiku, HI 96708

There are many other ways to help Pacific Primate Sanctuary, to find out how please visit our website: http://www.pacificprimate.org/help.htm

 With your support, you make everything we do possible!

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Special Topic- Intern Shanika
Chapter summary: Diets of the wild spider monkeys

Spider monkeys (Ateles) forage in the upper levels of the rain forest canopy. Around 80% of their time is spent in this area, 20% is spent in the sub canopy and less than 1% is spent in the under storey due to predation.  Ateles have very short bouts of feeding followed by long periods of rest time. During this time they digest the vast amounts of food they have consumed, until they are ready to feed again.

Spider monkeys spend between 1-45 minutes at a time feeding. Although this is a relatively short time for most primates they ingest huge amounts of food in this time. Dew (2005) recorded that an individual spider monkey consumed 70 fruits in a 21 minute sitting!

Ripe fruits constitute the majority of the wild spider monkey diet.  They prefer very ripe fruit, as it is high in water and sugar. On average, fruit makes up to 70% of the wild spider monkey diet. During periods when fruit is scarce spider monkeys tend to eat leaves and flowers. Towards the end of the rainy season, leaves can make up to 50% of the spider monkey diet. Carlos and Montana have been seen eating new bamboo shoots. However, this happens rarely, possibly due to the fact that they have fresh fruit and vegetables readily available.

The diversity of fruit in the wild spider monkey diet is much higher than the diversity of leaves. In a study carried out by Van Rosmalen and Klein (1988), spider monkeys consumed 28 different types of leaves but six times as many fruit. Animal prey makes up a very small amount of the wild monkey diet.  Their prey is limited to a few species of caterpillars, meliponid, bees and termites. They typically eat prey about 1-2 weeks a year. When spider monkeys eat bees they grab the bees nest at arms length, shake the nest and consume the angry bees that emerge. They have been seen doing this in small groups of about 3 spider monkeys and have been known to consume up to 100 bees per session.

Spider monkeys in different populations have slight variations in their diets. This shows they are opportunistic feeders and eat what is most nutritious from what is available to them. For example some populations in the northwestern Amazonian rain forest eat decayed wood!

Ateles are morphologically adapted to being frugivores. Their thumb is greatly reduced, their limbs, phalanges and tail are elongated and their tail is also prehensile. All of these adaptations enable the spider monkey to brachiate quickly and efficiently to get to, and between, food patches. Spider monkeys have broad incisors that are spatula shaped and small molars with rounded cusps (these are common to all frugivores). The incisors are used to pick fruit and peel away the less tasty part of the fruit.

 Spider monkeys have a short digestive tract that enables them to digest the large amounts of food they consume in a short amount of time. Spider monkeys obtain the majority of their water from their food but they have been known to drink directly from water sources such as streams. This has been observed with Carlos and Montana as they rarely use their lixit and instead prefer to drink from pools of 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 Edie
Capuchin Social Structure; Communication Signals

The formation of a social structure in capuchins is essentially a network of relationships. These relationships are developed from interaction patterns over a period time. Capuchin social interactions occur by utilizing communication signals via visual, tactile, vocal, and olfactory means.

Capuchins exhibit a wide range of body postures and facial expressions to communicate with conspecifics.  Studies have shown these wide varying facial expressions hold particular meaning to the receivers and have specific predictable responses elicited from each unique expression. Of the capuchin communication signals, tactile communication signals have been studied the most through observation of grooming and afiiliative (behaviors that promote group cohesion) patterns.

Studies have indicated that capuchins not only utilize grooming for hygienic purposes but also as a social function to establish and maintain social bonds. Affiliative behavior is seen in grooming, proximity, sexual behavior and play and is not random in terms of social affiliation. These association patterns help primatologists understand observed relationships within a group of individuals.

Capuchin grooming studies indicate that grooming rates are affected by dominance, agonistic and coalitionary patterns, kin relationships, estrus cycles and are also affected by the age and presence of any infants. The most common social grooming observed is female-to-female grooming, with the higher-ranking females receiving more attention. Thereafter the next most commonly observed grooming pattern is female to male grooming with the alpha male receiving the most attention. 

Vocal communication signals within capuchin groups also hold an important function that expresses between individuals messages of seeking or avoiding contact. The “huh” vocalization we hear Miracle and Prospero exhibiting while eating has been suggested by researchers to serve as a function for regulating spatial distance between individuals during feeding which essentially would increase foraging efficacy. Other food associated calls described as “grgrs” and “whistle series” are signals that provide foraging information to individuals about food types, amounts, quality, preferences, divisibility etc. Various studies of these food associated calls conflict in the belief of whether they are utilized to communicate food ownership or to communicate willingness of the caller to share resources and be approached.

Capuchins have a wide variety of vocalization in their repertoire. Di Bitetti’s dissertation referenced in the text includes 30 distinguishable calls made by capuchins. Pheromones and olfactory cues in the environment also play a role in the communication between individuals. However, these olfactory cues have not been exclusively studied in the field and we lack detail of the entirety and level of exclusive importance of their function.

Some olfactory focused behavioral patterns observed in capuchins include handsniffing, urine washing and genital inspections of adult males. Prospero and Miracle can be observed daily exhibiting many of these forms of communication signals.

Reference:
-Fragaszy, D., Visalberghi, E., Fedigan, L. (2004). The Complete Capuchin-The Biology of the Genus Cebus. Cambridge University Press.

Special Topic: Intern Rachel
Morphology of the genus Ateles

Spider monkeys (genus Ateles) have several unique morphological characteristics that make them supremely well suited to their large-tree, upper canopy arboreal environment and ripe-fruit foraging subsistence strategy. These include a prehensile tail, elongated fingers, and several other special skeletal adaptations.

Spider monkeys are brachiators, which means they use specialized hand-over-hand locomotion to hurl themselves through the trees. Interestingly, spider monkeys are the only primates outside of the lesser apes to use this type of movement and in many ways are very similar to gibbons. The skeleton of the spider monkey displays several adaptations to this type of locomotion. Ateles tends to be the most acrobatic of its relatives and thus shows more noticeable morphological differences. 

First, the shoulder blade, or scapula, is very long and thin. The glenoid fossa, which is the socket of the shoulder blade, points towards the skull as opposed to the human socket which points outward. This allows a greater range of motion and more comfortable rotation and arm raising for the suspensory motions of brachiating. Secondly, the forelimbs of spider monkeys are extremely long for their body size, between 36-38% longer then would be expected in an animal their size.

This length coupled with several features of the humerus and radius (the bones of the arm) minimizes bending and stress under the torsion that occurs during brachiation. In addition to their elongated arms and specialized shoulders, spider monkeys have long hook-like fingers that allow them to grip branches and swing with ease. Unlike most other primates, they lack an external thumb.

The evolutionary ancestors of spider monkeys did have thumbs, so the lack of this digit is not indicative of spider monkeys being less advanced then other primate species. Instead, the abbreviated thumb (of which vestigial bones are still present in spider monkey hands) is a specialized adaption due to lack of use in their arboreal habitat.

It is not possible to have a discussion of spider monkeys without mentioning their most prominent feature: the prehensile tail. A prehensile tail (which means capable of grasping) allows arboreal animals to move swiftly, securely, and efficiently through the canopy. Spider monkeys essentially have a third hand that provides stability to increase the efficiency of brachiation and that can handle the whole weight of the individual. The spider monkey spine has several adaptations that allow the tail to twist, bend and curl to be used for gripping and clasping as well as support the full body weight of the monkey while providing support and strength during brachiation. For example, spider monkeys have only four lumbar vertebrae, which are those closest to the tail, while most primates have five or six (humans have five). This shortened region is thought to be an adaption for reducing bending and compressive stress on the lower spine, which is significant when the tail is bearing the entire body weight of the individual.  The presence of a prehensile tail is important in suspensory feeding. The tail supports the entire weight of the monkey while both hands are free to forage. Spider monkeys have smaller vertebrae in their tails then other primates, but many more of them. This increases flexibility and extension of the tail. The bare pad on their tails aids in grip and sensitivity.

These unique features all contribute to making the genus Ateles extremely well adapted for life in the rainforest canopy.

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

 

“When man learns to respect even the smallest being of Creation, whether animal or vegetable, nobody has to teach him to love his fellow man. Compassion for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man."    —Albert Schweitzer

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 60 primates saved from research laboratories, animal dealers, and tourist attractions. Here they can heal, form social groups, and live free from exploitation.