Influence of Weather Conditions on Sleeping Patterns and Selection of Foliage Cover of Sleeping Trees in Black-and-Gold, Howler Monkeys (Alouatta caraya) in Northern Argentina

BRIVIDORO, MELINA V.; OKLANDER, LUCIANA I.; CANTARELLI, VERÓNICA I.; PONZIO, MARINA F.; FERRARI, HÉCTOR R.; KOWALEWSKI, MARTÍN M.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY

SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS

Lugar: New York; Año: 2023

0164-0291

Sleeping behaviors, such as sleeping in clusters and sleeping-tree selection, areafected by several social and ecological factors simultaneously, among whichweather conditions are suggested to be the most important. We evaluated the relationship between weather conditions (temperature and rainfall) and sleeping-clusterpatterns, body posture, and foliage cover at sleeping sites in four groups of blackand-gold, howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) inhabiting San Cayetano (27° 30’S-58° 41’W), Corrientes, Argentina. During 12 months (between June 2012 andJuly 2013), we collected clustering, postural, and weather data on 185 days. Thenumber of individuals in sleeping clusters was higher at low temperatures and lowerat higher temperatures. At low temperatures, the curled posture was the most frequent, whereas the spread posture increased in frequency as temperatures increased.We did not fnd a signifcant relationship between rainfall and sleeping body postures. At low and medium temperatures, individuals selected sleeping trees withdense foliage cover and used open-crowned sleeping trees on rainy days. Consistentwith what was found in previous studies, our fndings suggest that howler monkeysused behavioral thermoregulation strategies that reduce the exposition to adverseclimatic conditions.