This project was a collaborative study of genetic variation in owl monkeys (Aotus azarae) living in Posadas Province, Argentina, with Dr. Eduardo Fernandez-Duque. We wanted to learn more about their population structure, degree of mobility between social groups, and phylogenetic relationships to other New World Monkeys, as well as assess the extent to which genes influenced their sociality and paternal care.

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A portrait of an Owl Monkey (Aotus azarae)
Photo Credit: Agustin Esmori, Rio Pilcomayo National Park, Argentina

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Dr. Eduardo Fernandez-Duque tracking radio-collared Aotus azarae individuals.
Photo credit: T.G. Schurr

Paul Babb holding an anesthetized Aotus azarae individual.
Photo credit: E. Fernandez-Duque

An owl monkey moving in the forest canopy at dawn.
Photo credit: T.G. Schurr

Publications

Babb PL, Fernandez-Duque E, Schurr TG. 2010. AVPR1A variation in the monogamous owl monkey (Aotus azarai azarai), and its implications for the evolution of platyrrhine social behavior. J Mol Evol 71(4): 279–297.

Babb PL, Fernandez-Duque E, Baiduc C, Gagneux P, Evan S, Schurr TG. 2011. Mitochondrial DNA diversity in Azara’s owl monkey (Aotus azarai) of the Argentinean Chaco. Am J Phys Anthropol 146: 209-224.

Babb PL, McIntosh AM, Fernandez-Duque E, Di Fiore T, Schurr TG. 2011. An optimized genetic fingerprinting strategy reveals individual identity and kinship in Azara’s owl monkeys (Aotus azarai azarai). Folia Primatologia 82: 107-117.

Babb P, McIntosh AM, Fernandez-Duque E, Schurr TG. 2013. Prolactin receptor gene diversity in owl monkeys (Aotus spp.) and humans suggests a non-neutral evolutionary history among primates. Internatl J Primatol 35: 129-155.

Huck M, Fernandez-Duque E, Babb PL, Schurr TG. 2014. Correlates of genetic monogamy in pair-living mammals: Insights from Azara’s owl monkeys. Proc Roy Soc Lond B 281(1782): 20140195.

More Information

For more information about the Owl Monkey Project, go to the project website: https://www.owlmonkeyproject.com/