Sharing the forest

Red howler monkey. Credits: J. Picho

Primate news in Sacha Lodge

This week we had more observations of the lonely pygmy marmoset of the kapoc tower. He lives and feed on a Spondias tree, known in Spanish as ovo. This is one of the preferred exudate sources for pygmy marmosets so at least we know that this marmoset is feeding well. We hope that the guides and the tourists that go to the tower will help us to monitor marmoset to know more about how and for how long, adult marmosets could be solitary.

Black-mantled tamarin feeding on banana. Credits: J. Picho

In the family group of pygmy marmosets in torre baja the infants are growing and becoming more and more curious and active. We are now recording the hunting behavior of these marmosets to assess if it differs among individuals.

Lonely pygmy marmoset. Credits: P. Ramírez

Regarding the tamarins, we have observed two new groups visiting sporadically the area close to the lodges. We keep gathering new data about the feeding behavior of this species. But marmosets and tamarins are just two of the seven primate species in the Sacha Lodge reserve and very often we observe these other species. This past week, for example, a group of red howler monkeys was sharing the area with the family of pygmy marmosets. Pygmy marmosets and red howlers don’t interact very much but, when they do, their interactions are usually peaceful. Marmosets, however, sometimes seemed to be scared by the howls, exhibiting a hiding and freezing response.

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