Testing the parasite avoidance behavior hypothesis with Alouatta caraya

KOWALEWSKI, M MARTIN; ZUNINO, GABRIEL E

NEOTROPICAL PRIMATES

Conservation International

Lugar: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, BRAZIL; Año: 2005 vol. 13 p. 22 - 26

1413-4705

Primates are particularly susceptible to parasitic infections because they live in social groups that facilitate their transmission This study examines the black howler monkey’s (Alouatta caraya) use of defecation and night resting sites as a strategy to avoid parasite re-infection in a forest fragment in northern Argentina. The differences in the frequency of quadrate use and the heights at which the howlers defecated and slept may well reflect their attempts to diminish contact with feces in areas where they carry out much of their daily activity. Finally, a number of howler species, including black howlers, are reported to show behaviors associated with the reduction of disease transmission, such as the selection of defecation sites near the ground. Phylogeny may play an important role in the evolution of this behavior.