Owl Monkeys : Biology, Adaptive Radiation, and Behavioral Ecology of the Only Nocturnal Primate in the Americas / [E-Book]

Part I. Paleontology, Phylogeography, Taxonomy and Historical Perspectives on the Study of Owl Monkeys -- Cebid or Pitheciid: An Evolutionary History of Aotus, the Owl Monkey -- Phylogeography of the Owl Monkey -- Indigenous Records of Owl Monkeys, Early Explorers, Historical and Current Review of the Studies of Owl Monkeys (15th-20th centuries) -- The Owl Monkey Project of Argentina: 30 years of field research, education and conservation -- Taxonomy and Distribution -- Part II. Morphology, Genetics, Endocrinology, Circadian biology -- Genomics -- Diet, Dentition, and Jaw Shape in Aotus -- Molecular Phylogenetics -- Reproductive Ecology and Behavioral Endocrinology of Owl Monkeys -- Behavioral, Physiological and Morphological Thermoregulatory Adaptations -- Part III. Behavioral Ecology -- Field Methods for the Study of Owl Monkeys -- Patterns of nocturnal activity by night monkeys (Aotus spp.) in the tropics -- Cathemerality in Azara's owl monkeys of Argentina. -- Social Behavior in Owl Monkeys -- Paternal care in owl monkeys -- Dispersal: a critical life-history stage influencing populations, social dynamics, and individual fitness -- The great unknown - what we (do not) know about floaters. -- Intraspecific communication among owl monkeys. -- Owl Monkey Diet and Feeding Ecology. -- Part IV -- Correlates of population densities and occupancy rates in night monkeys -- Population Status and Conservation of the Panamanian Night Monkey Aotus zonalis. -- Population assessment and strategies for the conservation of Nancy Ma's night monkey populations at the Colombian-Peruvian Amazon border -- Conservation of Aotus sp. in anthropogenic habitats in the Andes -- Trade in owl monkeys -- Part V. Integration of Research on Captive and Wild Populations -- The owl monkey colony at the Michale Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine -- The owl monkeys of the DuMond Conservancy in Miami, USA - a scientific, educational and community asset.

This book integrates three decades of owl monkey research conducted since 1994 when the first and only book focused on the genus Aotus was published. Owl monkeys were one of the least understood primates then; knowledge from wild populations was only beginning to emerge and there had been some substantial research in colonies of captive individuals. The situation is very different today. Research on captive owl monkeys has continued to develop, with valuable contributions to the health and medical sciences. And there is now enough information on the behavior, ecology, conservation, and biogeography of the genus that merits a synthesis. The book synthesizes new field data on the biogeography, behavioral ecology, circadian biology, population biology and demography spanning their entire continental range from Panam t̀o Argentina. It includes theoretical perspectives drawn from evolutionary biology, biological anthropology, anatomy, morphology and physiology, genetics, endocrinology and conservation biology to examine a specic set of adaptations that have allowed owl monkeys to exploit the nocturnal niche while functioning in a pair-living sexually monogamous system with remarkable patterns of paternal care. The author, with 30 years of research experience with both captive and wild primates, has directed the longest project on any owl monkey species and has conducted extensive original research on their biology, adaptive radiation and behavioral ecology. His expertise and published record on both wild populations and laboratory colonies makes this book one of a kind; it presents information from both captive and wild primates and explores questions through the integration of both approaches. The volume offers some additional features that make it novel in its approach: (1) brings together a combination of senior researchers who during four decades have established captive owl monkeys as a system of study with a new generation of younger scientists who have, for the last 10-20 years, been spearheading their study in the wild, (2) presents the work of a remarkably diverse range of authors representing all countries where owl monkeys are present, as well as researchers from the U.S and Europe, and (3) offers "synthesis" chapters; in doing so, it will surely become a reference book for those specifically drawn to owl monkeys, as well as for those interested in the research topics that are covered.