First observation of a diurnal birth in wild owl monkeys (Aotus azarae), Formosa, Argentina

GARCIA DE LA CHICA, ALBA; BOGADO, NOELIA; FERNANDEZ-DUQUE, EDUARDO

Notas Mamiferos Sudamericanos

Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de los Mamiferos (SAREM)

Año: 2022

Diurnal births are infrequent in primates and it has been suggested that givingbirth at night would have certain adaptive advantages, such as decreasing the riskof predation or aggression towards mothers and offspring. We report the firstdiurnal birth event ever observed in owl monkeys, providing detailed descriptionsof the birthing sequence. Owl monkeys are small, arboreal primates, unique intheir activity patterns and uncommon in their social organization of pair-living andmonogamous mating system. Our observations, while providing insight into thebehavioral strategies of owl monkeys during birth events, contribute to a betterunderstanding of the potential adaptive value of the timing of births.