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Factors affecting the drinking behavior of black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra)

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Abstract

Water is essential for animals, and is particularly critical for thermoregulation. Animals obtain water from three main sources, free water, water contained in food, and water produced in the body during metabolism. Howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.) spend a small proportion of their time drinking water and some populations have not been observed drinking, suggesting they obtain most of their water requirements in food or by metabolism. However, when howler monkeys have been observed drinking there is evidence suggesting the drinking is associated with low precipitation, temperature, and fruit consumption, and high mature leaf consumption, although it remains unclear which factors determine drinking by this genus. In this study we tested the hypothesis that drinking by howler monkeys results from increased hydration requirements in drier climates and from lower consumption of foods rich in water (e.g., new leaves, fruit). We tested this hypothesis by comparative analysis of 14 groups of Yucatán black howler monkeys (A. pigra) living under different climatic conditions. From April 2005 to November 2008 we collected a total of 3,747.2 focal observation hours of the feeding and drinking behavior of 60 individuals, with data on ambient temperature and rainfall. Individuals spent more time drinking when they lived in habitats with higher maximum temperature and when they consumed more mature leaves. For this species, therefore, drinking seems to be linked to heat stress and a low availability of water in ingested food.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all the students and volunteers that helped with data collection. The following people and institutions granted us permission to work on their property and facilitated our fieldwork: Comisarios Ejidales de Abelardo Domínguez, Calax, Chekubul, Conhuas, Nvo. Ontario, Plan de Ayala, and Candelario Hernández Perera, Igor, Carmén Gómez and Ricardo Valencia; Ayuntamiento de Calakmul; Ing. A. Sánchez Martínez, El Tormento, INIFAP; Lic. C. Vidal and Lic. L. Álvarez, INAH Campeche; Biól. F. Durand Siller, Reserva de la Biósfera Calakmul, CONANP; Ing. V. Olvera, El Álamo. Climate data were kindly provided by CONAGUA. Filippo Aureli and an anonymous reviewer provided very useful comments on a previous version of the manuscript. This study was supported by CFE (RGCPTTP-UV-001/04), Universidad Veracruzana, Conacyt (grant number: 235839) and Idea Wild. Behavioral sampling procedures were approved by SEMARNAT (SGPA/DGVS/01273/06 & 04949/07) and adhered to the Mexican law.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Industrial Animas, Av. Dr. Luis Castelazo Ayala S/N, 91190, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    Pedro Américo D. Dias, Ariadna Rangel-Negrín, Alejandro Coyohua-Fuentes & Domingo Canales-Espinosa

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  1. Pedro Américo D. Dias
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  2. Ariadna Rangel-Negrín
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  3. Alejandro Coyohua-Fuentes
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  4. Domingo Canales-Espinosa
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Correspondence to Pedro Américo D. Dias.

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Dias, P.A.D., Rangel-Negrín, A., Coyohua-Fuentes, A. et al. Factors affecting the drinking behavior of black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra). Primates 55, 1–5 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-013-0383-1

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