Use of Mineral Licks by White-Bellied Spider Monkeys (Ateles belzebuth) and Red Howler Monkeys (Alouatta seniculus) in Eastern Ecuador

Abstract

Geophagy occurs in all primate groups and is particularly common in species that consume greater quantities of plant material, i.e., leaves, fruit. The function of geophagy is not fully understood and likely varies over space and time, perhaps in connection with changes in diet. Central to a better understanding of geophagy in primate ecology is knowledge of the occurrence of such behavior among different species and seasons. We used camera traps triggered by heat and motion to document the use of mineral licks by primates over a 3-yr period at a lowland forest site in eastern Ecuador (Tiputini Biodiversity Station). Such mineral licks can be important sources of minerals, nutrients, and other compounds for a wide range of species in Amazonian forests. Although 10 species of primates are known from the study site, we obtained photographs of only 2 species, Ateles belzebuth (white-bellied spider monkey) and Alouatta seniculus (red howler) at 2 of 4 saladeros surveyed. From late December 2004 through early January 2008, we recorded 192 photographs with a total of 318 Ateles belzebuth representing ≥66 separate visits. Comparable numbers for Alouatta seniculus were 80, 121, and 37. We recorded both species visiting a mineral lick at the same time on ≥7 occasions. Use of mineral licks varied across months; we recorded more visits from November through February, the drier period at Tiputini. Visits also varied by hour, with no visits before 0830 or after 1630; Ateles belzebuth showed a stronger mid-day peak in visits. Average visit length (calculated as the time between the first and last Int photographs of a given visit) was similar between the 2 species but median visit length was more than twice as long for Ateles belzebuth (15 min) as for Alouatta seniculus (6 min). Results indicate that mineral licks are important in the ecology of these species, but further studies are needed to determine the precise benefit(s) obtained and how benefits may vary with diet and other factors.

Medium and large mammal richness from the marine and coastal wildlife refuge of Pacoche, Ecuador

“…Varios factores han llevado al incremento de estudios con trampas cámara en la última década, entre los cuales se incluye la posibilidad de minimizar el error de detección, en especial para algunas especies crípticas y difíciles de observar, la disminución en su costo y la posibilidad de estandarizar y replicar el mismo muestreo a diferentes lugares (Tobler et al 2008;Ahumada et al 2011;Ahumada et al 2013;Rovero et al 2014). En Ecuador se han realizado algunos estudios usando esta metodología pero han estados enfocados en la diversidad de grupos específicos como los carnívoros (Hodge y Arbogast 2015) o algunos aspectos de la biología de una especie en particular (Blake et al 2010). …”

Geophagy in Brown Spider Monkeys (Ateles hybridus) in a Lowland Tropical Rainforest in Colombia

“…data]. The importance of mineral licks for spider monkeys and howler monkeys has also been suggested in previous studies at Tinigua Park, Colombia [Izawa, 1993;Inaba, 2000;Shimooka, 2005], and ongoing studies at Yasuni Park, Ecuador [Blake et al, 2010;Link et al, 2011], where both species frequently visited mineral licks throughout the year [Izawa, 1993;Inaba, 2000]. Shimooka [2005] also suggested that mineral licks influenced the ranging behaviour of spider monkeys, and Spehar et al [2010] and Link et al [2011] found that the area around mineral licks was the most frequent and intensively used area for groups of spider monkeys in eastern Ecuador.…”

“…For many primate species, or populations, soil is an important and frequently consumed item in their diets (e.g. Ateles and Alouat- Folia Primatol 2011;82:25-32 26 Link /de Luna /Arango /Diaz ta ) [Izawa, 1993;Blake et al, 2010;Link et al, 2011] most often obtained from termite mounds, leaf-cutting ant mounds, the forest floor or mineral licks [Ferrari et al, 2008]. Mineral licks are specific sites where not only primates come to eat soil or drink water, but also a large diversity of other mammals and birds use them for similar purposes [Izawa, 1993;Montenegro, 2004;Tobler et al, 2009].…”

“…Only scant data exist on geophagy by atelids [Izawa, 1975;Ayres and Ayres, 1979;Izawa, 1993;Blake et al, 2010]. Recently, Ferrari et al [2008] compiled the data on geophagy by New World monkeys and proposed two potential trends: (1) geophagy is more common amongst herbivorous species compared to those that include insects (at least partially) in their diets, and (2) geophagy is more common for Amazonian primates compared to other Neotropical primates.…”

Distribution and Abundance of White-Fronted Spider Monkeys, Ateles belzebuth (Atelidae), and Threats to Their Survival in Peruvian Amazonia

“…This has made A. belzebuth rare and it is now considered 'Endangered' (A2cd, decreasing population trend) [IUCN, 2012]. Detailed ecological and behavioural studies have been performed on this species, mainly in Colombia and Ecuador [Di Fiore et al, 2009;Blake et al, 2010;Stevenson and Link, 2010; for older references, see Campbell, 2008], but knowledge of A. belzebuth from Peruvian Amazonia is scanty and superficial. Even its geographic range in Peru is not well established, with errors or lack of precision found in distribution maps provided by Kellogg and Goldman [1944], Hill [1962], Aquino and Encarnación [1994], Collins and Dubach [2000] and Boubli et al [2008].…”