Although woolly monkeys are generalist foragers, they do not select their food items randomly or opportunistically. We found no differences in the type of arthropods adults and juveniles ate, but adults invested more time foraging for this resource, especially in moss. Geometrid moths (Lepidoptera) were the most important and consistent insects eaten over time. Woolly monkeys preferred and avoided some fruit and arthropod items available in their home range, choosing a wide variety of arthropods. Further, there was a positive relationship between feeding time on fruits and arthropods, suggesting that eating both resources during the same periods might work as an optimal strategy to maximize nutrient intake. Resource availability predicted feeding time for arthropods but not for fruits. The most important resource in the diet was fruits (54%), followed by arthropods (28%). moss, bromeliads, aerial insects) were used for assigning arthropod taxonomy. Scat samples and capturing canopy substrates (i.e. Using behavioural, phenological, arthropod sampling and metabarcoding methods, we recorded respectively foraging time, forest productivity, arthropod availability in the forest and arthropod consumption. In an 11 month study, we investigated the foraging strategies of this endemic monkey and assessed how resource availability affects dietary selection.

This differs from closely related Atelid species that supplement their diet with leaves. Colombian woolly monkeys ( Lagothrix lagotricha lugens ), one of the largest primate species in the Americas, feed mainly on fruits, but they also eat a high percentage of arthropods.

Primates are very selective in the foods they include in their diets with foraging strategies that respond to spatial and temporal changes in resource availability, distribution and quality.

Torrent software comparison