Abstract
The killing of an adult male spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth ) by a jaguar (Panthera onca) and a predation attempt by a puma (Felis concolor) on an adult female spider monkey have been observed at the CIEM (Centro de Investigaciones Ecológicas La Macarena), La Macarena, Colombia. These incidents occurred directly in front of an observer, even though it is said that predation under direct observation on any type of primate rarely occurs. On the basis of a review of the literature, and the observations reported here, we suggest that jaguars and pumas are likely to be the only significant potential predators on adult spider monkeys, probably because of their large body size.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Cadena CD, Parra JL, Botero CA, Mejia GD, Aldana J, Londono GA (1998) Bird species at the CIEM, Tinigua National Park: A partial list. Field Stud Fauna Flora La Macarena Colombia 12:19–32
Cheney DL, Wrangham RW (1987) Predation. In: Smuts BB, Cheney DL, Seyfarth RM, Wrangham RW, Struhsaker TT (eds) Primate societies. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 227–239
Chinchilla FA (1997) La dieta del jaguar (Panthera onca), el puma (Felis concolor), y el manigordo (Felis pardalis) (Carnivora: Felidae) en el Parque Nacional Corcovado, Costa Rica. Rev Biol Trop 45:1223–1229
Cuaron AD (1997) Conspecific aggression and predation: costs for a solitary mantled howler monkey. Folia Primatol 68:100–105
Di Fiore A (2002) Predator sensitive foraging in ateline primates. In: Miller LE (ed) Eat or be eaten. Cambridge University Press, London, pp 242–267
Eason P (1989) Harpy eagle attempts predation on adult howler monkey. Condor 91:469–470
Emmons LH (1987) Comparative feeding ecology of felids in a neotropical rainforest. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 20:271–283
Inaba A, Izawa K (2000) Ecological and sociological studies in wild spider monkeys MB-1 group at La Macarena, Colombia (in Japanese) In: Izawa K (ed) Adaptive significance of fission–fusion society in Ateles (in Japanese). Miyagi University of Education, Sendai, pp 21–36
Izawa K (1993) Soil-eating by Alouatta and Ateles. Int J Primatol 14:229–242
Izawa K (2000a) Characteristics of the home range of spider monkey groups (in Japanese). In: Izawa K (ed) Adaptive significance of fission–fusion society in Ateles. Miyagi University of Education, Sendai, pp 77–82
Izawa K (2000b) Two loud call of spider monkeys: mobbing call and long call (in Japanese) In: Izawa K (ed) Adaptive significance of fission–fusion society in Ateles. Miyagi University of Education, Sendai, pp 125–141
Izawa K, Mizuno A (1990) Chemical properties of special water drunk by wild spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth) in La Macarena, Colombia. Field Stud New World Monkeys La Macarena Colombia 4:38–46
Julliot C (1994) Predation of a young spider monkey (Ateles paniscus) by a crested eagle (Morphnus guianensis). Folia Primatol 63:75–77
Kimura K, Nishimura A, Izawa K, Mejia CA (1994) Annual changes of rainfall and temperature in the tropical seasonal forest at La Macarena field station, Colombia Field Stud New World Monkeys La Macarena Colombia 9:1–3
Olmos F (1994) Jaguar predation on muriqui, Brachyteles arachnoides. Neotropical Primates 2:16
Peres CA (1990) A harpy eagle successfully captures an adult male red howler monkey. Wilson Bull 102:560–561
Peetz A, Norconk MA, Kinzey WG (1992) Predation by jaguar on howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus) in Venezuela. Am J Primatol 28:223–228
Printes RC, Costa CG, Strier KB (1996) Possible predation on two infant Muriquis, Brachyteles arachnoides, at the Estacao Biologica de Caratinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Neotropical Primates 4:85–86
Rettig NL (1978) Breeding behavior of the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja). Auk 95:629–643
Sherman PT (1991) Harpy eagle predation on a red howler monkey. Folia Primatol 56:53–56
Shimooka Y (2005) Sexual differences in ranging of Ateles belzebuth belzebuth at La Macarena, Colombia. Int J Primatol 26:385–406
Stevenson PR (2002) Frugivory and seed dispersal by wooly monkeys at Tinigua National Park, Colombia. Ph D thesis, State University of New York, Stony Brook
Symington MM (1987) Ecological and social correlates of party size in the black spider monkeys (Ateles paniscus chamek). Ph D thesis, Princeton University, Princeton
Terborgh J (1983) Five new world primates. Princeton University Press, New Jersey
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Colombia–Japan primate research project members C. Mejia, A. Nishimura, K. Kimura, Y. Shimooka, and A. Agumi for critical suggestions and kind guidance throughout this study. We thank the Ministry of Environment of the Colombian Government for granting us permission to undertake the investigation in Macarena-Tinigua National Park. This study was supported by grants from the Monbusho International Scientific Research Program (09041144) and from the Monbusho COE Program to O. Takenaka (10CE2005), and a grant for Biodiversity Research of the twenty-first century COE (A14). We also thank Y. Katsuta, C. Thomas, and T. Ikeda for the proofreading of this manuscript. Finally, we are grateful to C. Chapman and two anonymous reviewers for fruitful comments and information that improved this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Matsuda, I., Izawa, K. Predation of wild spider monkeys at La Macarena, Colombia. Primates 49, 65–68 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-007-0042-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-007-0042-5