Primates de Guayaquil: Revelando los secretos de nuestros vecinos en peligro de extinción

Abstract

Most of the 22 species of non-human primates that inhabit Ecuador are at risk of disappearing due to the loss of forest cover, lack of research and citizen disinterest. For these reasons, a partial count of primates was carried out in two sectors of the Cerro Blanco Protected Forest (Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador) to obtain information on their population status and ecology in order to develop conservation strategies. Transects were made through streams and trails to record group composition, geographic location, and photographs. With a route of 110 km, covering 9.62% of the total area of the reserve, the composition of 12 groups of Ecuadorian mantled howler (Alouatta palliata aequatorialis) was used to estimate a density of 18.69 individuals/km2 and a sub-adult ratio of 0.45, a value lower than the normal range recorded in other studies with the same species. In the case of the Ecuadorian capuchin (Cebus aequatorialis), the group that could be registered has a composition similar to 1 of the 3 groups identified in previous studies. In addition, photographs of the dominant males were obtained for future identification. The results obtained demonstrate the importance of monitoring these populations to understand their dynamics and design long-term conservation strategies. It is suggested to replicate this study in future years to verify if the Ecuadorian mantled howler population is decreasing, increase the sampling effort to study the Ecuadorian capuchin and encourage more Ecuadorians to dedicate their lives to the study of primates.