ISSN:
1573-8604
Keywords:
Alouatta palliata
;
mantled howler
;
aggression
;
Cebidae
;
disease
;
mortality
;
paleopathology
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract We examined the pathological conditions in a sample of 200 skulls of Alouatta palliata recovered from Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, to investigate the prevalence of disease and injury in a free-ranging monkey population. Forty-five individuals (22.5%) have some type of nondental pathological condition, indicating that illness and injury are relatively common in this population. Ten individuals, all older adult males, exhibit clear signs of antemortem trauma in the form of healed fractures. We attribute the trauma primarily to fighting, and its frequency (16.4% of adult males) contradicts previous assertions that BCI howlers are nonaggressive. Nine of the 37 scorable immature individuals (24%) have signs of a larval infestation, supporting the suggestion that ectoparasites play an important role in BCI howler mortality. Other pathological conditions in the sample include shifted muscle attachments, periostitis, arthritis, neoplasm, periapical abscesses, and facial deformity, as well as various dental abnormalities.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1020372825031
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