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Behavioral ecology ofAlouatta seniculus in Andean cloud forest

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Abstract

The behavior and ecology ofAlouatta palliate àre well studied; we report here on the first long-term study of anotherAlouatta species, the red howler monkey,A. seniculus. AlthoughA. seniculus was studied at a high elevation in the Colombian Andes, it exhibits many behavioral and ecological similarities to lowlandA. palliata. Continuous focal sampling indicates thatA. seniculus spends 78.5% of its time resting, 5.6% moving, and 12.7% feeding. It has a day range of 1.09 km and a home range of 22 ha. Like its more northern relative,A. seniculus spends more than 50% of its feeding time on leaves–especially young leaves–but on a dry-weight basis, fruits comprise the majority of its diet. The small home and day ranges observed as well as the large amounts of time spent resting are all argued to be aspects of a relatively folivorous foraging strategy. Daily food intake is estimated to be 1.23 kg fresh weight (0.266 kg dry weight). Foraging efficiency (yield/time) varies by a factor of almost 6 across major food types, with item size and distribution being the key determinants. Food preferences change markedly over the activity period, with high-energy sources predominating early and high-protein sources late.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, 15260, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    Steven J. C. Gaulin

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Gaulin, S.J.C., Gaulin, C.K. Behavioral ecology ofAlouatta seniculus in Andean cloud forest. Int J Primatol 3, 1–32 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02693488

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