Owl Monkeys: Biology, Adaptive Radiation, and Behavioral Ecology of the Only Nocturnal Primate in the Americas (Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects)

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 Panamá to 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 youngerscientists 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.

Dr. Eduardo Fernandez-Duque is Professor of Anthropology and the School of the Environment at Yale University. He is a cofounder of Fundación ECO, a not-for-profit organization promoting education in northern Argentina, a corresponding member of the Argentine Council for Science and Technology (CONICET), a National Geographic Explorer and an Invited Professor of the Universidad Nacional de Formosa of Argentina and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito of Ecuador.

Born in Argentina, Dr. Fernandez-Duque completed his first degree in biology at the University of Buenos Aires before receiving his PhD in animal behavior at the University of California, Davis. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, the Smithsonian Institution, the Zoological Society of San Diego and a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania. His research program, which bridges the fields of evolutionary anthropology, psychology and primatology, focuses on examining the behavioral, physiological, and ecological correlates of male-female relationships, pair-bonding, and parental care.

For 30 years he has studied pair living and monogamous primates, including the owl monkeys discussed in this volume, at field sites in the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon, the Argentinean Chaco, and National Primate Centers in the US. He has published over 150 articles and has contributed to the training of more than 400 students from 20 different countries.