Education:Stories from the Field
Radio tracking owl monkeys
Owl monkeys are unique for several reasons. They are the only monkeys that are nocturnal, they are one of the few primates that are monogamous, and they have evolved a natural resistance to malaria. Owl monkeys live in rain forests throughout South America, but only one species, Aotus azarai, is found in the fringing forests of Argentina's Gran Chaco. This area of South America is being severely affected by overgrazing of domestic cattle, logging, and the expansion of agricultural areas. There is much to learn about these owl monkeys to ensure their protection and survival.
Dr. Eduardo Fernandez-Duque, a Millennium Postdoctoral Fellow with the San Diego Zoo's CRES, has been doing fieldwork studies of owl monkeys in the Chaco region of northern Argentina. He hopes to learn more about the types of social groups the monkeys live in, how they choose their lifelong mates, and how they are related to each other. The researchers have their work cut out for them, following 13 family groups of owl monkeys as they go about their nightly business!
Each monkey has been outfitted with a radio collar (110 individuals!) to help the researchers keep track of the monkey's whereabouts. In 2003 eight owl monkeys were fitted with special actometer collars that record the activity of the monkey for six months, saving the information on a chip. The information in the collar can then be downloaded to a computer for analysis. Unfortunately, four of the monkeys disappeared with their collars. In August of 2004 one of the collars was found when a park keeper ran into a poacher hitting the collar with a machete to open it. The collar was in an area that had been burned. Amazingly enough the collar was still active and the data was still there!
