Testimonies from the Field

One of the great things about running the Para La Tierra Primate Project is that I get the chance to share my project with international volunteers and interns and let them experience what being a field primatologist is really like. Capuchins start their day with the sun, which means that we need to be under the tree they slept in before dawn. Our house is a 30-minute walk from the forest, which means that we have to leave at 4:30am. We then spend 9-12 hours walking/running/crawling around the Atlantic Forest to keep up with or find the capuchins. Getting the chance to spend your days in one of the world’s most endangered terrestrial habitats is nothing short of a privilege. The more time you spend in the forest, the more likely you are to run into some of the other mammalian inhabitants including howler monkeys (if you are really lucky!), coatis, crab-eating foxes, tayras, jaguarundis, oncillas or peccaries. And of course the capuchins themselves are a constant source of entertainment.

Here are some testimonies from some past and present members of the primate team:

“My time at Para La Tierra….hmmm, how to describe it? Amazing, wonderful, exciting, stunning, exhilarating, shocking, beautiful, hard-work, fulfilling and so many other words that I could probably just fill this whole space with! I volunteered with Para La Tierra from August 2013 until February 2014. I was a part of the primate project run by the lovely Becca Smith. The main aim of why I was there was to help collect valuable data relating to the Azara’s capuchin species (Sapagus cay) that are found at Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca. We would go out, every day, to the forest in search of these amazing monkeys to observe their behaviour and collect any other data we could about them. This would include the type of food items they were seen to be eating, their sleeping sites, we took photos to build an archive of individuals and so much more. Now, I’m not saying this was a walk in the park and we found them every single day and just got to sit there and watch the beautiful monkeys. This was definitely hard work trying to find the groups and then stay with them as we tried to document their behaviour but I will tell you this, the first moment (and every moment after that) you see these amazing creatures in the wild, every early start and all that comes after it is, without a doubt, is 100% worth it….trust me. Throughout my time as a volunteer I was able to develop new field work skills and had the opportunity to help develop and test new projects or ideas. If you are someone that has never done fieldwork before, don’t worry, this is a great program to join to teach you valuable research skills that can really help if you plan to do any type of fieldwork in the future or even with university. You will get to see so many other animals too while you are there. There are amazing reptiles, birds, and of course the other furry mammals that are around. On a bit of a road-trip that we took to the Chaco region in the north of the country I was lucky enough to see a wild capybara, some flamingos and wild pigs! I absolutely loved every single minute of my time in the field but that wasn’t the only experience that I gained volunteering with the Primate Project….oh no! Visiting Paraguay, I was able to experience the beautiful and wonderful Paraguayan culture. The people there are so generous and welcoming. I even learned some Spanish along the way – I thought I was crap with languages, so if I can pick up some then I think anyone could! To some up my experience – I went as a volunteer but left having met some absolutely amazing people along the way (many I’m still really good friends with, even if they live half-way across the world), learned something about other people/cultures as well as myself, developed new skills and even got to say that, in some small way I was able to contribute to the research that is fighting to understand and save these amazing capuchins and the habitat that they live in. “ Anna O’Riordan, 2013/2014

“I interned with PLT in 2014 and returned as a primate team volunteer in 2015. I originally went to Laguna Blanca to complete an intern project on trapping small mammals. However, the crab-eating foxes in the Atlantic Forest soon learned that they could pull my Sherman traps off of the trail and flip them over to retrieve the tasty bait inside. I spent most days during my internship in the forest tracking down my lost traps - which gave me the perfect opportunities to learn how to follow the capuchins. I returned to Paraguay a year later and helped Becca complete a demographic assessment of one of the capuchin groups using a camera trap. We were fortunate enough to have recently published our study in the journal Neotropical Primates and present our findings at an International Primatological Society conference this past August. One of the best experiences as a primate volunteer was when Becca and I were able to watch group O for more than a half-hour on the day before my 22nd birthday and then saw two crab-eating foxes and a jaguarundi on our walk back from the forest. Since my last visit to Laguna Blanca, I completed my Masters degree in biology and I am currently a full time laboratory assistant at the California National Primate Research Center in the US. I am hoping to eventually enroll in Ph.D.program that would enable me to study the primates of the Argentinian and Paraguayan Chaco.” Emily Briggs, 2014/2015

“I was always the child that would spend endless hours outside looking at every piece of grass and approaching every moving thing I encountered. I’m that kind of person that, while being at a party, spends more time with the dog than with the actual people at the party! I couldn’t have been happier than walking around in the forest looking for the capuchins. In the Netherlands we have a saying; like a fish in the water (we have more strange proverbs, but I will keep it short). I won’t lie, this kind of fieldwork is though. But it is more than rewarding to find a group and actually observe their behaviour, or even interact with you in person! It is more than rewarding to take volunteers to see the capuchins and their face lit up when the capuchins come closer and closer. And it is priceless to be told by them that a lot of people would probably want to see this in real life. I cannot agree more; everyone should see this for themselves. I am inviting each and every one of you to come and be amazed by these adorable, clever, fascinating little creatures. See you at Laguna Blanca! Kelly Rebergen, 2016

“I decided to come to Para La Tierra for many reasons, all of which made the organisation stick out above others. I had been looking at a multitude of conservation-based projects situated all around the world but in the end chose PLT. PLT offered a place where I could progress in my academic career, engage my passions and interests and have a completely new experience. I was particularly drawn to the academic aspect here, which goes above many other conservation organization, allowing you to create or join an existing research project associated with your area of interest. I am also deciding what to do with my future and whether or not to progress my studies with a PhD and feel my time at PLT has definitely fostered these thoughts. I think its safe to say my favourite moment at PLT so far has been when we found the black and gold howler monkeys! It had been three years since they had been spotted and we were able to observe them for a couple hours over two days. We were also lucky enough (or not) to be showered by howler monkey poop and urine, which definitely made it a moment I will never forget. However, it’s also just as exciting when we find the capuchins in the forest, every time I see them I feel so privileged and amazed to be observing and studying them in the wild. Its extremely tiring being in the field researching the capuchins but I can’t wait to see what the next month will bring.” Bella Contador-Kelsall, 2016

We have spaces right now for Primate Team interns from January until April 2017 on a study of the dietary diversity of the three capuchin groups. We are also looking for people to come and help us track our incredibly elusive howler monkey group! If you are up for the challenge and want to contribute to primate research and conservation in Paraguay, please email your CV to Karina Atkinson at karina@paralatierra.org.

Hope to see you soon in Paraguay!

URGENT: Primate Team Intern opportunities available in January!

The PLT Primate Team is looking for dedicated individuals to join us from January -April 2017 to participate in two studies of Laguna Blanca's three groups of hooded capuchins. The first study is investigating the dietary diversity of the different capuchin groups and how they vary across seasons. This project has been running since early 2016 and we want to collect a full years worth of data to compare how the composition of their diets change across the seasons. The second project is looking at forest strata use by the groups. We are looking for three interns per project to start as soon as possible!

Juvenile Capuchin eating flowers.

Interns spend full days in the field searching for, and following the capuchins and data is collected through focal follows and scan sample methods. Sample of fruit are collected for identification and photographing and we also recorded what processing technique the monkeys are using and what height they are in the tree while feeding.

Subadult capuchin eating insect galls from leaves and engaging in "leaf-sniffing" behaviour.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone preparing for further study in primatology or wild animal behaviour. This program will give you first-hand experience of life on a research station as you explore little known habitats and learn the skills you need to progress in your biology career. You will gain experience in VHF tracking and observing wild primates in their natural habitat, data collection and use of GPS and mapping software. There may also be the opportunity to assist in writing scientific publications.

New baby in O Group clings to Gizmo's back while she eating Caraya-Bolas fruit.

We are looking for people to start next month (or even sooner if you would like to spend Christmas and New Year on a white sand beach in Laguna Blanca!). Please share this opportunity with your friends and if you are interested contact Karina Atkinson on karina@paralatierra.org. 

Eating papaya fruit on the side of the road.

Hope to see you soon in Paraguay!!!

Primate Mothers

I am going to take a little trip back in time here to talk a bit about the research I did for my thesis for my Masters of Research. In 2011/2012 I undertook the MRes Primate Biology, Behaviour and Conservation degree with the University of Roehampton under the wonderful supervisor Dr. Stuart Semple. This fascinating course taught me so much about all areas of primatology and allowed me to spend 3 months carrying out my own research project on the Puerto Rican island of Cayo Santiago.

View from Cayo Santiago (2012)

Cayo Santiago is a 16ha island about 1km off the coast of Puerto Rico and is inhabitated only by 1000 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulata). Starting in March 2012 I carried out a study of the effects of the weaning process on the stress levels of the macaque mothers. Rhesus macaques live in large multi-male/multi-female groups. Rhesus macaques social groups are female–bonded and male dispersal. The females remain in their family group and their dominance hierarchies are based on their matrilineal kinship  (Melnick et al. 1984). Female rhesus macaques very rarely leave their natal groups (Fooden 2000). I hypothesised that weaning would be a stressful period for the mother as if, her newly weaned offspring dies before it can reproduce itself, her investment has been wasted.

I started my study at the beginning of the mating season, when the female macaques were beginning to wean their infants. I looked at levels of self-scratching, a well known behavioural indicator of stress in primates, normally (to determine a baseline frequency of scratching) compared to the frequency of self-scratching in the minute following a rejection of the infant when it tried to nurse. There were three distinct types of rejection: passive rejection involved the mother turning her back or gently blocking her nipple; active rejection where the infant was pushed away or restrained from reaching the mother and violent rejection in which the infant was attacked when attempting to nurse. I also looked at the type of reaction that the infant displayed when it was blocked from weaning. Some infant displayed completely hysterical tantrums that seemed very likely to draw negative attention from other group members, especially adult males.

Female relationships are very important to rhesus macaques.

 In addition to this I looked at whether the stress reaction to rejecting the infant was affected by the dominance rank of the female, how many female relatives she had in the group (and therefore, likely level of support), how many previous infants she had raised, whether the infant was male or female and how socially connected the female was within the group.

Adult female's older offspring trying to steal her new baby.

I found that there is a significant increase in self-scratching directly following the rejection of an infant and that this is effected by whether the infant is male or female. In rhesus macaques, the structure of their society means that dominant males have a huge monopoly on mating opportunities. If the female macaques want to ensure their genes pass to the next generation they have to invest a lot more in a male to give him the best chance of becoming big enough to become dominant. Females have a lot more to lose if a male infant dies between weaning and mating.

In capuchins, things are a bit different. On average, female capuchins give birth every 19.4 months (Janson et al. 2012). Birth season varies by area and is dependant on rainfall, food availability and photoperiod of the habitat (Carosi et al. 2005). In Laguna Blanca, I have only recorded once instance of mating (captured on a camera trap in July 2015) and most of the new babies I have seen have appeared in late December, although both F Group and N Group currently have babies that are less than a month old. As the groups become more habituated to researcher presence I aim to modify my masters research methodology in order to investigate whether weaning causes stress to the mother in the hooded capuchin.

 

Adult female grooming a juvenile.

Adult female carrying a juvenile as another young capuchin approaches her.

Capuchin Remedies

Zoopharmacognosy, or self-medication, is the use of specific plants (or in some cases arthropods) by wild animals to combat parasitic infection or disease. Self-medication has been widely documented in the great apes. One particularly interesting example has been documented in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) and bonobos (Pan paniscus) ingesting and defecating whole leaves in order to purge intestinal parasites (Huffman et al. 1996; Huffman 1997; Huffman & Caton 2001). Rough leaves are folded between the tongue and pass through the gastrointestinal tract intact (Huffman & Caton 2001). These leaves not only scour the gut, forcing expulsion of parasites and eggs but also stimulate diarrhoea, expelling the worms and possibly toxins from the body (Jain et al. 2008). Not pleasant, but effective. White-bellied spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth) and red howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus) in Ecuador engage in geophagy – the eating of soil – which is believed to provide them with a variety of nutritional and health benefits (Link et al. 2011).

Chimpanzees eating rough leaves to get rid of parasites. Nigel Swales/wikimedia, CC BY-SA (http://theconversation.com/how-other-primates-self-medicate-and-what-they-could-teach-us-59869)

In capuchin monkeys, the most commonly reported method of self-medication is fur-rubbing or anointing. Anointing can be a solitary or social behaviour and involves a monkey rubbing a foreign substance (e.g. leaves, insects etc.) into it’s fur. In white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) this behaviour is highly social and results in a writhing, drooling ball of very excited monkeys rubbing a variety of plants including Citrus fruits, Piper leaves, Sloanea terniflora fruit and insects (Lynch Alfaro et al. 2011). A review of the variation in anointing behaviours between Cebus and Sapajus species found that Cebus species – the nontufted capuchins – anoint at higher frequencies than Sapajus species – the tufted capuchins, but do not anoint with a higher diversity of materials. This review also found that Cebus uses more plants for anointing and Sapajus more commonly use insects. This behaviour is a type of self-medication as the plants and insects used contain , often very strong, secondary compounds with healing and insect-repelling properties (Jain et al. 2008).

Self-medication in wild primates is certainly a fascinating topic. In Laguna Blanca, I have only seen two incidences of fur rubbing by the hooded capuchins. Both occurred in rather strange circumstances. The first happened back in 2014 (and is described in a natural history note currently under review). During an observer directed threat display, a large adult male in F Group seized a handful of leaves from a Citrus tree and furiously rubbed them all over his fur and then threw them into the air. During the entire display he was loudly alarm calling and threatening me. The second occurred just this week. Two juvenile capuchins came within a few metres of the primate team before settling in the branches of the tree and chewing leaves before rubbing them into their fur. Two individuals engaged in this behaviour separately at first and then together – though the social rubbing only lasted for a couple of second. The unusual thing about both these sightings was that they occurred during observer directed displays.

Young capuchin during solitary fur rubbing bout (Photograph: Anna O'Riordan)

Another suspected case of self-medication is the bark eating behaviour that both groups of capuchins at Laguna Blanca engage in. They only eat the bark of a single tree species and, though little information is available on the exact species, the genus is well known to have various medicinal properties, including anti-parasitic properties!! Parasitological analysis planned for the future will help shed more light on this interesting behaviour!

Adult capuchin eating bark while a juvenile watches (Photograph: Carter Payne)