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The decrease in the populations of common woolly monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha) has generated its categorization as an endangered species, and many specimens are kept in captivity due to illegal trafficking. Hematology is a very useful tool to assess the well-being and diagnosis of pathological conditions, it is necessary to have reference parameters for all primate species kept in captivity. The aim of this study was to determine the hematological values of the common woolly monkey (L. lagotricha) kept in captivity in zoos in Lima-Peru. The study was counted with 28 individuals in seven zoos, 16 females and 12 males from four different age groups. Primates were captured and the physical-chemical containment was done using screens and an anesthetic protocol based on a combination of ketamine hydrochloride and xylazine. Blood samples were obtained by puncture of the femoral vein and placed into sterile tubes with EDTA anticoagulant and refrigerated until analysis. The following results were obtained: erythrocytes 8,76 x 106/µl (± 2,91), hematocrit 36,46% (± 3,38), hemoglobin 12,32 g/dl (± 1,89), MCV 60,61 fl (± 7,85), HCM 20,37 pg (± 3,07), CMHC 33,85 g/dl (± 4,61), leucocytes 6,12 x 10³/μl (± 1,05), abastonados 0,05 x 10³/μl (± 0,11), segmented 5,54 x 10³/μl (± 2,23), lymphocytes 2,62 x 10³/μl (± 1,60), monocytes 0,07 x 10³/μl (± 0,02), eosinophils 0,42 x 10³/μl (± 0,23), basophils 0,13 x 10³/μl (± 0,14) and platelets 314,39 x 10³/μl (± 78,09). A significant statistical difference to the value of monocytes in relation to sex was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the time allocation decisions of lowland woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii) in a terra firma forest in eastern Ecuador where they occur sympatrically with 9 other primate species. Woolly monkeys spent considerable amounts of time searching for and attempting to procure animal prey—roughly as much time as they spent consuming plant material: ripe fruits, leaves, and flowers. The amount of time spent foraging for animal prey is positively related to the habitat-wide availability of ripe fruits (the predominant component of the woolly monkey diet), and negatively related to both ambient temperature and the abundance of potential prey items in the habitat. Time spent resting showed exactly the opposite pattern with respect to these ecological variables. These results suggest that woolly monkeys follow an energy-maximizing strategy of food acquisition during times of fruit abundance—focusing on animal foods and perhaps laying down fat reserves to utilize when ecological conditions worsen—and follow an energy-minimizing strategy when fruit resources are scarce. Such a strong and seasonal commitment to animal prey foraging is unique among the ateline primates and is not ubiquitous even among lowland woolly monkeys. We suggest that this foraging strategy, and the greater intragroup cohesion that characterizes some populations of Lagothrix, are both opportunistic responses to regional differences in habitat quality. Identifying and accounting for such intraspecific variation should be a goal of any analysis of comparative socioecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on the use of space, activity patterns, diet, and social interactions were recorded for a group of woolly monkeys (Lagothrix Lagotricha) during 13 months at Tinigua National Park, Macarena, Colombia. In this region, fruit abundance changes throughout the year with a peak during March-April (beginning of the rainy season) and less fruit during September-November (end of rainy season). Woolly monkeys spent most of their time in mature forest where fruit abundance is higher than in open-degraded or flooded forests. Changes in habitat used by monkeys were coupled with changes in fruit supply across vegetation types. On an annual basis, woolly monkeys spent 24% of point samples locomoting, 36% resting, 36% feeding, and 4% on other activities. However, these proportions varied across the year depending on fruit availability. Based on instantaneous samples, the diet consisted mostly of fruits (60%), arthropods (23%), vegetative parts and flowers (17%), and other items (1%). Non-lactating females and juveniles spent more time eating insects than adult males and lactating females; however, significant differences between classes were detected only during the period of fruit scarcity. These differences are probably due to the high extent to which non-lactating females and juveniles were excluded from fruiting trees by males. The high proportion of arthropods in their diet is unusual for primates with large body size and is a possible factor influencing group cohesiveness in woolly monkeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]