Wio News: Northern muriquis are one of the most endangered species of monkeys in the world and are on the verge of extinction, which is why, rearing healthy offsprings is critical for their long-term existence. Researchers are now turning to the poop of these primates in order to gain a better understanding of how they choose their mates and to gain insights into their mating lives.
In a paper published on August 2 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the scientists combined genetic analysis with long-term behavioural observations so as to understand the reproductive patterns of the endangered species. Unlike most primates, Muriquis, live in peaceful, egalitarian societies centred on related males and their mothers. Karen Strier, a co-author of the paper and a professor of anthropology at UW-Madison, who has been studying the behaviour and ecology of these monkeys in a small, preserved section of the Brazilian forest for the past 40 years, said that she and her team can now identify each of the monkeys and also whose poop is whose. She and her colleagues collected the samples and handed them over to Anthony Di Fiore, an anthropology professor and director of the Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab at UT Austin, and Paulo Chaves, Di Fiore’s graduate student at the time. They further used these samples to study the DNA in order to understand the mating behaviour of muriquis. The research team was able to ask unique genetic questions because Strier’s field crew knew which samples belonged to whom.
“I knew from behavioural observations that there was a lack of competition in mating and that mothers didn’t mate with their sons or close male relatives.