On May 22nd, every year we celebrate the International Day of Biodiversity, a day to recognize and raise awareness of the biological diversity of our planet and the threats that biodiversity is facing due to our actions and activities. Every one of us can do small actions and activities to reduce our individual impact on the biodiversity loss crisis. From pressure on our local, regional and national governments to take action to reduce the impact of our development project up to small action such as recycling, sustainable use of natural resources, protecting water sources, reducing waste, among others.

Colombia is a privilege country, home of a high diversity of birds, mammals, including primates, reptiles and amphibians, fish and invertebrates. Knowing what we have is the first step to take care of that high biodiversity. Our geography is part of the reasons for that high diversity that includes animals and plants adapted to different altitude and weather conditions making us one of the hot spots for biodiversity globally.

Zocay Project study area is an incredible area in which many animals and plants live and as part of our activities we look for ways in which cattle ranching areas can maintain biodiversity while meeting their productive goals. Living fences allow wildlife in these transformed areas to move between forest fragments while reducing their exposure to predators and even find food. Cattle ranching water sources as well as artificial lagoons help wildlife during dry season when natural streams and rivers reduce their flow, allowing them to find water without having to travel longer distances. Occasionally, we plant native fruit trees to increase connectivity in some of the reserves and farms in which we work. We continue learning about how these highly fragmented areas affect monkeys’ lives and how they cope with all the changes that human activities make in their environment. So, today we celebrate their resilience and flexibility to live in small and medium size forest fragments surrounded by human productive activities.

If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with us at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities. You can also support our activities by buying our ornate titi monkeys stuff dolls https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctm_sEORvk8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and our new journals in Amazon https://www.amazon.com/X-Carretero/dp/B0CWD1DBJM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?© Copyright Disclaimer. Pictures in this post are protected with copyrights to Francisco Gomez y Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website or contact xcarretero@gmail.com

In today’s post, we continue with our series of articles based on information we had been collecting in the study area over the past 20 years. We are going to talk about an article from 2018 in collaboration with one of my mentors, Dr. Thomas Defler. Thomas is an incredible researcher that although was born in US, came to Colombia following his passion for monkeys and the tropical forest and became a Colombian.

This paper put together observations from both of us in the Colombian Llanos and Tom’s observations from his years in the Orinoquian and Amazon forest in the departments of Vichada, Amazonas and Vaupes in Colombia. This paper showed that three species of titi monkeys, ornate titi monkeys (Plecturocebus ornatus, before called Callicebus ornatus), yellow-handed titi (Cheracebus lucifer, before called Callicebus torquatus lucifer), and white-chested titi (Cheracebus lugens, before called Callicebus lugens) have higher densities on forest edges compared with interior areas in large fragments (> 1000 ha) and in continuous areas. For example, in continuous forests like the ones in Amazonas and Vaupes, densities of titi species in these areas (Cheracebus lucifer and Cheracebus lugens) were higher in the forest near to rivers than in more interior areas present in these large tracks of forest. In the Colombian Llanos, large forest fragments (> 1000 ha) also showed higher densities in the edges of the fragment compared with the interiors, this information was taken during almost 9 years working in a private reserve in San Martin area, part of Proyecto Zocay. If you want to read more, please find the article here.

Español

Otro artículo colaborativo, esta vez sobre la preferencia del mono zocay por hábitats de borde de bosque.

En este blog, continuamos con nuestra serie sobre artículos basados en la información que hemos estado colectando en el área de estudio en los últimos 20 años. Vamos a hablar de un artículo del 2018 en colaboración con uno de mis profesores, el Dr. Thomas Defler. Thomas es un investigador increíble que, aunque nació en Estados Unidos, vino a Colombia siguiendo su pasión por los monos y los bosques tropicales y se nacionalizó como colombiano.

Este artículo combina las observaciones de ambos en los llanos de Colombia y las observaciones de Thomas de sus años en los bosques de la Orinoquia y Amazonas en los departamentos de Vichada, Amazonas y Vaupés en Colombia. Este artículo mostro que tres especies de titis, mono zocay (Plecturocebus ornatus, antes llamado Callicebus ornatus), titi de manos amarillas (Cheracebus lucifer, antes llamado Callicebus torquatus lucifer), y mono viudita o zogui zogui (Cheracebus lugens, antes llamado called Callicebus lugens) tienen altas densidades en los bordes de bosque comparado con áreas del interior en fragmentos grandes (> 1000 ha) y en áreas continuas. Por ejemplo, en los bosques continuos como los de Amazonas y Vaupés, las densidades de especies de viuditas (Cheracebus lucifer y Cheracebus lugens)en estas zonas fueron más altas en bosques cerca a los ríos comparado con áreas más en el interior en estas grandes zonas de bosque. En los llanos colombianos, los fragmentos más grandes (> 1000 ha) también mostró densidades más altas en los bordes del fragmento comparado con el interior, esta información fue tomada durante casi 9 años trabajando en una reserva privada en el área de San Martin, parte del Proyecto Zocay. Si desea leer más, por favor encuentre el artículo aquí.

If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with us at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities. You can also support our activities by buying our ornate titi monkeys stuff dolls https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctm_sEORvk8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and our new journals in Amazon https://www.amazon.com/X-Carretero/dp/B0CWD1DBJM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?© Copyright Disclaimer. Pictures in this blog post are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón and Francisco Gomez. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website or contact xcarretero@gmail.com

Today’s post is about some of the newest news from the field. Apart from the excitement to check on the Colombian squirrel monkeys (Saimiri albigena) babies born over the past months; it was also time to check of the yellow fever outbreak we have in Colombia was showing any sign in Zocay Project study area. Colombia is passing through a yellow fever outbreak that had already affected red howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus) and night monkeys (Aotus spp.) in another region of Colombia. Fortunately for all the monkeys in our study area, none of the monkeys we saw in our fieldwork this month had shown any signs of yellow fever up to now. However, we will continue looking for any signs of monkey’s sickness in our field site and any sites we monitor monkeys in San Martín, Villavicencio and Villanueva.

Colombian squirrel monkeys’ babies continue to grow and some of the older babies are starting to show some independent movements, moving and playing a little bit farther from mom. They are still eating mom’s milk, however, a couple of them seem to start eating some fruits near to their moms. We also saw black-capped capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella) and red howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus) babies enjoying their playful adventures. Fortunately for all monkeys’ babies, the rainy season has already started, and fruits are all over the forest.

During our visit to San Martin area, this time, a huge storm broke over night and the stream along which the forest growth was flooded, trees were as greener as they become after a heavy rain. A giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) and coatis (Nasua nasua) were also roaming around. Coatis also had babies at this time of the year making the forest a nursery.

If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with us at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities. You can also support our activities by buying our ornate titi monkeys stuff dolls https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctm_sEORvk8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and our new journals in Amazon https://www.amazon.com/X-Carretero/dp/B0CWD1DBJM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?

© Copyright Disclaimer. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website or contact xcarretero@gmail.com

In today’s post, we continue with our series of articles based on information we had been collecting in the study area over the past 20 years. We are going to talk about an article in which researchers working in Latin America and Madagascar used information collected in many places where monkeys and lemur are found in the wild to better understand why in Latin America and Madagascar primates use mainly trees instead of on the ground to move, which is more used by primates in Asia and Africa. This kind of article requires information from many species and places and researchers collaborate and share their information to answer questions related to wider conceptual questions, such as how terrestriality (moving on the ground instead of on trees) evolves?

For this article, we share information we collected as part of my master thesis on ecology and behavior of Colombian squirrel monkeys in the study area. This study found that monkeys and lemurs tend to use the ground more in areas with less canopy cover (areas where there are less big trees, such small fragments) and higher temperatures (hotter sites). Also, the species that use more the ground are species that eat more items and not only fruits, for example Colombian squirrel monkeys that eat a lot of insects and spiders and flowers and not only fruits (and bananas as many would think!!). Species that live in larger groups also use the ground more.

Over the years, we also have seen other species using the ground for many activities such as searching for food, movement, play and even interacting with other species. Most of these behaviors are sometimes influenced by lack of trees where the monkeys can move from one fragment of forest to another, that is why it is so important to connect forest fragments with trees. The use of the ground in animals in the study area is not always a natural behavior but something the monkeys need to do because we didn’t give them any other option.

Español: Un artículo de colaboración para entender por qué los monos en Latino América y lemures en Madagascar prefieren usar árboles en vez del suelo para moverse

En este blog, continuamos con nuestra serie sobre artículos basados en la información que hemos estado colectando en el área de estudio en los últimos 20 años. Vamos a hablar de un artículo en el que investigadores trabajando en Latino América y Madagascar usando información colectada en muchos sitios donde monos y lemures se encuentran en vida silvestre para entender mejor porqué en Latino América y Madagascar los primates usan principalmente árboles en vez de en el suelo para moverse, que es más usado por primates en Asia y Africa. Este tipo de artículos requieren información de muchas especies y lugares y los investigadores colaboran y comparten su información para responder preguntas relacionadas con preguntas conceptuales amplias, tales como ¿Cómo la terrestrialidad (moverse en el suelo en vez de sobre los árboles) evoluciona?

Para este artículo, nosotros compartimos información que colectamos como parte de mi tesis de maestría sobre la ecología y comportamiento de los monos titi (frailes) en la zona de estudio. Este estudio encontró que los monos y lemures tienden a usar el suelo más en áreas con menos cobertura del dosel (áreas donde hay menos árboles grandes, como fragmentos pequeños) y altas temperaturas (sitios calientes). También, las especies que usan más el suelo son especies que comen más ítems y no solo frutos, por ejemplo, los monos titis que comen muchos insectos, arañas y flores y no solo frutos (y bananos como muchos pueden pensar). Las especies que viven en grupos grandes también usan el suelo más.

A lo largo de los años, también hemos visto otras especies usando el suelo para muchas actividades tales como buscar alimentos, movimientos, jugar e incluso interactuando con otras especies. La mayoría de estos comportamientos son algunas veces influenciados por la falta de árboles donde los monos puedan moverse de un fragmento de bosque a otro, que es porque es tan importante conectar fragmentos de bosque con árboles. El uso del suelo por animales en el área de estudio no siempre es un comportamiento natural sino que algunas veces los monos necesitan hacerlo porque no tienen ninguna opción.

If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with us at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities. You can also support our activities by buying our ornate titi monkeys stuff dolls https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctm_sEORvk8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and our new journals in Amazon https://www.amazon.com/X-Carretero/dp/B0CWD1DBJM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?

© Copyright Disclaimer. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website or contact xcarretero@gmail.com

We continue to our series of blogs about some of our recent published results, this time again about Brumback nights monkeys (Aotus brumbacki). Despite the difficulties we had following and even finding these monkeys who move at night, over the years we have been able to make a few observations about what they eat and that is the focus of the short note we are going to talk about today. You can find the note here. In this note we collected observations done during surveys and random encounters with night monkeys. Every time any student, local people or I observed a night monkey group eating any fruit or flower or found a fecal sample, we registered information to identify the tree from which the monkeys were eating. This note has a preliminary list of plants that Brumback night monkey consumed. Why is it important to have a list of plant species consumed by these monkeys? This list can help us to choose plant species useful to regenerate and reforest areas close to places where monkeys live. It also can help us to choose plants to enrich living fences used by monkeys and other animals to move between forest fragments. Have you seen nocturnal monkeys eating fruits or flowers? Share with us your observations!EspañolContinuamos con nuestra serie de blogs acerca de nuestros resultados recientemente publicados, esta vez sobre los monos nocturnos llaneros (Aotus brumbacki). A pesar de las dificultades para seguir e incluso encontrar estos monos que se mueven en la noche, a lo largo de los años hemos podido hacer algunas observaciones sobre lo que comen y ese es el enfoque de la nota de la que vamos a hablar hoy. Puede encontrar la nota aca.

En esta nota reunimos las observaciones realizadas durante muestreos y encuentros al azar con grupos de monos nocturnos. Cada vez que un estudiante, persona local o yo observamos un grupo de mono nocturno comiendo cualquier fruto o flor o cada vez que encontramos heces de estos micos, registramos información para identificar el árbol del que los monos estaban comiendo. Esta nota tiene una lista preliminar de plantas de las cuales los monos nocturnos llaneros se alimentan. ¿Por qué es importante tener una lista de especies consumidas por estos monos? Esta lista puede ayudarnos a escoger las especies de plantas útiles para regenerar y reforestar áreas cercanas a lugares donde los monos viven. También puede ayudarnos a escoger las plantas para enriquecer cercas vivas usadas por los monos y otros animales para moverse entre fragmentos de bosque. ¿Alguna vez has observado a los monos nocturnos comiendo frutos o flores? ¡Comparte tus observaciones con nosotros!If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with us at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities. You can also support our activities by buying our ornate titi monkeys stuff dolls https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctm_sEORvk8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and our new journals in Amazon https://www.amazon.com/X-Carretero/dp/B0CWD1DBJM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?© Copyright Disclaimer. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website or contact xcarretero@gmail.com

In today’s post we are going to talk a bit about some of our published findings. It will be a series of blog posts in which we are talking about some of our results, however this doesn’t mean that if you want to compare our results with yours, you don’t have to read the whole paper. The purpose of doing this exercise is to practice how to present our results in a simpler way. Also, when we have some news about our work in the field we will share this news with you, but as we are not spending that much time in the field at the moment, we are going to try to talk about what we have published up to know.We are going to start with a short note that we mention a couple of posts before about the nest sites from Brumback night monkeys (Aotus brumbacki). You can access the complete note in this link. In this note we describe some features of the nest of this endemic Colombian species that we observed over the past 20 years in San Martín, Villavicencio and Cumaral. We describe the plant species in which these nests were observed as well as the height and we describe some features of the landscapes surrounding the forest fragments where these nests were found. We found a wide diversity of hole trees, alive and dead palms, Guadua and bamboo stands and even house roofs. This is important to know because this species is found in an area of Colombia that has a lot of deforestation and hole trees, and palm trees are not always easy to find. These are nocturnal monkeys that need a safe, dark and dry site to spend the day. In small forest fragments these kinds of structures (hole trees, especially) are not abundant because they are easy to fell down during big storms with a lot of wind. Have you ever seen nocturnal monkeys’ nest? Where in Colombia? Share your observations in the commentsIn the past weeks, we had been monitoring some of the Colombian squirrel monkey’s groups (Saimiri albigena) in Villavicencio area. As we mentioned in one of our blogs in January, this is the baby’s season for this species, and we are happy to say that a couple of new babies were born and the ones we saw last month are growing. There are also a few females with really big bellies, close to birth date. It is always a challenge and a joy to observe these beautiful monkeys during this time of the year. Definitely one of the times in which I feel more joy to be able to witness new life in this planet that we all share…Acerca de algunos de nuestros resultados y noticias del campoEn el blog de hoy vamos a hablar un poco sobre nuestros resultados publicados. Será una serie de blogs en los cuales hablaremos acerca de algunos de nuestros resultados, sin embargo, esto no quiere decir que, si quieres comparar nuestros resultados con los tuyos, no tengas que leer el artículo completo. El propósito de hacer este ejercicio es practicar cómo presentar nuestros resultados en una forma más sencilla. También, cuando tengamos algunas noticias sobre nuestro trabajo en el campo, compartiremos esas noticias con ustedes, pero cómo no estamos pasando tanto tiempo en el campo en este momento, vamos a tratar de hablar de lo que hemos publicado hasta ahora.Vamos a iniciar con una nota que mencionamos hace un par de blogs anteriores sobre los nidos del mono nocturno llanero (Aotus brumbacki). Pueden acceder a la nota completa en este enlace. En esta nota describimos algunas características de los nidos de esta especie endémica colombiana que hemos observado en los últimos 20 años en San Martín, Villavicencio y Cumaral. Describimos las especies de plantas en las que los nidos fueron encontrados, así como su altura, y describimos algunas características del paisaje alrededor de los fragmentos de bosque donde los nidos fueron encontrados. Encontramos una gran diversidad de árboles con huecos, palmas vivas y muertas, guaduales o bambusales e incluso techos de casas. Esto es importante de conocer porque esta especie se encuentra en un área de Colombia que tiene mucha deforestación, y los árboles con huecos y las palmas no son fáciles de encontrar. Estos son monos nocturnos que necesitan un lugar seguro, oscuro y seco para pasar el día. En fragmentos de bosque pequeños estos tipos de estructuras (árboles con huecos, especialmente) no son abundantes debido a que es fácil que se caigan durante tormentas grandes con mucho viento. ¿Alguna vez has visto nidos de monos nocturnos? ¿Dónde en Colombia? ¡Comparte tus observaciones en los comentarios!En las semanas pasadas, hemos estado monitoreando algunos de los grupos de monos titis (Saimiri albigena) en el área de Villavicencio. Como lo mencionamos en uno de los blogs de enero, está es la época de nacimientos para esta especie y estamos felices de decirles que hay nuevos bebes y los que nacieron el mes pasado están creciendo. También hay algunas hembras con grandes barrigas, próximas a tener bebes. Siempre es un reto y una alegría observar estos hermosos monos durante este periodo del año. Definitivamente uno de los momentos en los que siento más felicidad de tener la oportunidad de presenciar nueva vida en este planeta que todos compartimos…If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with us at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities. You can also support our activities by buying our ornate titi monkeys stuff dolls https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctm_sEORvk8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and our new journals in Amazon https://www.amazon.com/X-Carretero/dp/B0CWD1DBJM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?© Copyright Disclaimer. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. Pictures in this post from Martha L. Ortiz and Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website or contact xcarretero@gmail.com

In today’s post we are going to discuss why is so important that we share our results and findings in academic and non-academic environments. This is especially important to students finishing their undergraduate thesis. The reason why is this so important is because most of the results and findings from student’s work can improve the decision-making process and policy implementation of conservation and managing actions. Additionally, all information, even basic information, that a lot of student’s research produce becomes accumulative information that can be used to understand how to conserve those species studied. No publishing that information, including not presenting any part of that in a scientific conference, makes that information less available and sometimes difficult to access for people looking for that type of results to better make decisions on conservation

How to choose those academic and non-academic environments? Well, that will depend on the type of results and findings and the kind of impact that you wish those results will make. It also depends on your resources and connections. Choosing an academic conference will depend on your topic and resources you have available to choose a national or international conference.

Over the years I had been in several academic conferences and, probably in fewer occasions, also in non-academic environments (trainings, community meetings, stake-holder’s meetings). My efforts to share my results had leads me to this blog also. How I make the decision to go to a conference or not, usually depends on financial resources and how much the topics on the conference interest me and make me excited to hear about other people’s results. On some occasions I had been fortunate enough to get funding but at the beginning a lot of my conference’s expenses where cover by myself and if you want a career that involves the academy world, it is a consideration you need to take in account. A lot of fellowships and grants to cover advanced degrees such as master’s and doctorates are given to people who assist to conferences and have publications. So, if you want to be a professor in a university, this is one of the many activities in which you have to involve yourself, conferences and publishing articles.

As mention in my last blogs, resources for this year research are reduced so, we will try to share with you some of the main results of our research as part of publishing, hopefully, in a more simpler way our findings as well as giving you some little updates on our limited fieldwork for this year…More soon!!!

If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with us at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities. You can also support our activities by buying our ornate titi monkeys stuff dolls https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctm_sEORvk8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and our new journals in Amazon https://www.amazon.com/X-Carretero/dp/B0CWD1DBJM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?

© Copyright Disclaimer. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website or contact xcarretero@gmail.com