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Research Team
Research Team
Jack Jaworski
Jack Jaworski
Anthropology
Dr. Kelsey Ellis
Dr. Kelsey Ellis
Anthropology
Abstract
Abstract
Predation is thought to be a strong selective factor in primate sociality and behavior, yet predation events are rarely witnessed in the field. In this study, we aimed to characterize primate responses to predation risk and how this threat impacts primate behavioral patterns. Specifically, we recorded behavioral responses of lowland woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii) to playbacks of aerial and terrestrial predator vocalizations, intermittently paired with a terrestrial predator model, at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in Ecuador between June and August 2025.
Research Questions
Research Questions
How do lowland wooly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii) respond to perceived predation from audio and visual stimuli?
Methods and Methods
Methods and Methods
We conducted 41 experiments utilizing non-predatory avian vocalizations as control stimuli (n = 21) such as southern mealys (Amazona farinosa farinosa) and screaming pihas (Lipaugus vociferans). These would be followed by harpy eagle (Hapria harpyja) (n = 9) or jaguar (Panthera onca) (n = 11) stimuli. For the jaguar stimuli we also included a model either by itself (n=3) or with the vocalizations as well (n=4). Before and after each trial, 20 minutes of focal data and group scans were recorded to measure for changes in individual and group behavioral patterns. Responses to playback and model experiments were also recorded using a Canon T7 camera and ZOOM F1 field recorder.
Results/Findings and Discussion
Results/Findings and Discussion
The most common responses of focal individuals toward the predator playbacks (n = 13) and model (n = 7) were vigilance (88.9%) and orientation toward the source of perceived risk (77.8%), as well as vocalizations, including alarm barks (33.3%), agitated chirps (33.3%), and contact vocalizations (16.6%). Other responses included movement away (19.5%) or towards the stimuli (7.3%), and fleeing from the immediate area (16.6%). Control audio playbacks (n = 21) only received 2 responses, one of vigilance and one of orientation toward the stimuli. The intensity of responses were greater and vocalization increased when audio playbacks were paired with visual stimuli.
Conclusions and Future Study
Conclusions and Future Study
This study highlights how predator defense may be one of the key benefits of group living, as once an individual detects risk, they alert conspecifics to the perceived threat. Due to jaguars usual silent form of hunting, playbacks with jaguar vocalizations alone may have been confusing to the monkeys as there was no way to confirm the predator's presence, while seeing the model in conjunction with the playbacks markedly increased alarm barks, agitated chirps, and orientation to the stimuli. For future research on this subject I would continue the use of audio and visual models to make the testing of predation as realistic for the monkeys as possible helping to record as accurate of a response as possible.
The following is an image of the poster presented at the 2026 Undergraduate Research Forum
Jaworski AABA 2026.pptxAcknowledgements
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the Tiputini Biodiversity Station Management and Staff, the Ecuadorian government for permitting us to work in the Yasuní Biosphere, and Miami University and The University of Texas at Austin for making this experience possible. Thank you to Nico Jaworski for being a great leader in the field. Thank you to my fellow students from Miami University, Kathryn Keeley, Lucas Atherton, Ashley Sideri, Mary Lerch, and Aisling Morse. Thank you to Dr. Kelsey Ellis (Miami) and Dr. Anthony Di Fiore (UT).
References
References
Parker, E. J., Hill, R. A., & Koyama, N. F. (2022). Behavioral responses to spatial variation in perceived predation risk and resource availability in an arboreal primate. Ecosphere, 13(2), e3945. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3945
Adams, D. B., & Kitchen, D. M. (2020). Model vs. playback experiments: The impact of sensory mode on predator‐specific escape responses in saki monkeys. Ethology, 126(5), 563–575. https://doi.org/10.1111/eth.13008
Isbell, L. A., & Bidner, L. R. (2016). Vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) alarm calls to leopards (Panthera pardus) function as a predator deterrent. Behaviour, 153(5), 591–606. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-00003365
Isbell, L. A. (1994). Predation on primates: Ecological patterns and evolutionary consequences. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 3(2), 61–71. https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.1360030207
Jiang Chunsheng - Miranda, E.B.P., Peres, C.A., Carvalho-Rocha, V. et al. Tropical deforestation induces thresholds of reproductive viability and habitat suitability in Earth’s largest eagles. Sci Rep 11, 13048 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92372-z
Schmitt, C. A., & Di Fiore, A. (2015). Predation risk sensitivity and the spatial organization of primate groups: A case study using GIS in lowland WOOLLY Monkeys ( Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii ). American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 156(1), 158–165. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22612
Stanford, C. B. (2002). Avoiding Predators: Expectations and Evidence in Primate Antipredator Behavior. International Journal of Primatology, Volume 23, 741–757. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1015572814388#preview
Tinbergen, N. (1963). “On Aims and Methods of Ethology.” Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie, 20, 410-433
van Schaik, C. P., & Van Noordwijk, M. A. (1989). The special role of male Cebus monkeys in predation avoidance and its effect on group composition. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 24(5), 265–276. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290902
NACE Career Readiness Competencies
NACE Career Readiness Competencies
Communication: Through this project I have improved my communication skills by communicating scientific concepts to a non-scientific audience.
Teamwork: During this project I worked with a multitude of people from different backgrounds and being that we were in the jungle together we all had to learn to work together to achieve our own goals and be successful.
Self-Development: This work was in an environment I knew nothing of and forced me to adapt quickly to it. Through it I became a better researcher and found out my different strengths and weaknesses in the world of scientific research.
Research Compliance Protocols
Research Compliance Protocols
Work/Research was approved by Miami IRB/IACUC
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