In the Field with Katie – The Amato Lab

The following journal entries are during Katie’s fieldwork seasons in Mexico for her PhD.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012 AT 04:31PM

Research is on-schedule! I have completed almost all laboratory work for this project. Once I have all the data back I can start analyzing and writing. Of course, I have been analyzing some of the data over the past few months already, and there have been several writing projects on my plate as well. I currently have two manuscripts and one book chapter in review.

With regard to the lab work, it’s amazing how many samples we collected while in Palenque. This dataset is truly enormous. I’ve included a picture from one step of one analysis to provide an idea of how much processing all of these samples required. It would be interesting to know if I’ve clocked as many hours in the laboratory as I did in the field in Palenque. Probably not, but I have spent enough hours bent over a lab bench that it’s nice to be approaching a temporary stopping point (as I finish my dissertation and move on to the next project). Needless to say, there should be some interesting papers as a result of all of this work.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2011 AT 05:44PM

To date, I have extracted DNA from all of the samples I collected in the field in Palenque National Park and surrounding areas. Thanks to the help of two assistants, Jill and Andrew, this part of the lab work went very quickly. Now, I am continuing analyses using the DNA and hope to have preliminary results soon! (I presented some preliminary data comparing the gut bacteria of howler groups living in forest fragments to those living in the continuous forest of Palenque National Park at the American Society of Primatologists annual meetings in Austin, TX in September.) Stay tuned for publications!

SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2011 AT 04:05PM

Field data collection is complete! Our last day of field work was June 25, and now we are in the final stages of organizing samples for shipment and packing everything up in our cabana. Last weekend I was unable to write an update because we were traveling in San Cristobal de las Casas and Tuxtla Gutierrez. I went to Tuxtla to get my export permit for the last batch of fecal samples. All went smoothly except that the system wouldn’t print the permit so I had to go back a second day to pick it up. I was also able to verify my plant identifications at the herbarium at EcoSur, a university in San Cristobal. It was a busy couple of days, but I left feeling like I got a lot done.

The last two weeks in the field were pretty routine. We got our samples without a problem…although there were a few days when the monkeys made themselves difficult to observe. Leaving the Balam group for the last time and then the Motiepa group was a little hard. We are both tired from all the hard work we have been doing, but the forest is so beautiful here, and of course, we enjoy being around the monkeys. We’ll be so busy with last-minute errands here that I don’t think the reality of the situation will hit me until I’m already gone. Even so, I’m trying to enjoy my last few days in Palenque and plan on taking one more walk through the forest before I leave.

Updates will probably be less regular once I start the labwork in Champaign. Labwork doesn’t have exciting surprises like snakes. However, I’m confident that I will find some interesting patterns in my data. I will be sure to update as much as I can and to notify when anything gets published.

Week 9 flew by. The nightly rains have continued so the heat remains tolerable. However, the behavior of the Motiepa group this week matched that of the Balam group last week. There were not as many intergroup encounters, but the Motiepa group traveled almost the entire length of its territory almost every day. The Motiepa group has a much larger territory than the Balam group and is located on a long incline. Although the distances we traveled each time they moved were still less than a kilometer, the hill made the journey seem hotter and longer. In addition to that, most of the traveling the monkeys did was along the small river that runs through their territory. The river is beautiful and full of cascading waterfalls (due to the inclined terrain), but following the monkeys back and forth across it as they moved along made for some wet afternoons.

Other than the monkeys, we ran into several agoutis and a coral snake this week. The monkeys also spent a couple days in a fruiting fig tree overhanging the largest waterfall in their territory, and we were able to spot a huge variety of birds, including mot-mots and toucans.

MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2011 AT 05:09PM

It is starting to rain again, which has cooled things off significantly. Luckily, most of the rain comes at night though, so we are able to work comfortably in the field still. Cooler weather means the monkeys are more active. It’s a nice change, but this week Balam was very active and tended go into the middle of tall trees with dense leaves almost every day. There was also at least one howling encounter with another group every day. Data collection was a challenge.

On top of that, the Balam males were very difficult to tell apart. Although they have some distinguishing characteristics, they are subtle and hard to see if the monkeys are moving quickly or if the light is wrong. Usually we use botflies to tell them apart more easily. Botflies are flies whose larvae grow under the skin of a mammalian host, in this case, the monkeys. When a monkey has a botfly, it develops a very visible lump wherever the botfly is—face, neck, chest, back, etc. Because different individuals have botflies in different places, this makes it easy for us to quickly identify the monkeys once we know where each one has a botfly. However, the botflies only last for about a month, after which the fly emerges and the lump disappears; we are constantly on the lookout for new ones. One of the Balam males has had a botfly on his right collarbone for the past three weeks, but this week it was almost gone. The other male has no botflies. While this is great for the monkeys, it made it very difficult for us to quickly distinguish the males from one another. We were able to do it using the faded botfly, a faint scar, and facial characteristics, but several times we had to follow our focal individual around after the focal had ended to verify the identity. Luckily, the females and juveniles are easy to tell apart using permanent characteristics so our frustration was limited.

Aside from the monkeys, we saw a coati this week. This is the first time I’ve seen this raccoon-like animal in Palenque National Park! We also saw an encounter between a small snake and a big tarantula. I didn’t get close enough to see what the end result was, but when I looked at the pictures I took, it looks like the snake is belly-up.

SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2011 AT 02:58PM

The heat continues! Melanie’s interest in Isa’s baby also continues. Melanie constantly follows Isa around and handles her baby whenever she gets the chance. There have been a couple more instances of aggression between the females, too. Although social behavior is not my focus, it’s very interesting to watch all of these interactions. They remind me how important inter-individual relationships are among primates.

As I’ve mentioned several times, the heat is affecting the monkeys’ behavior. We’ve had a few days where the monkeys rested for eight hours! This makes collecting behavioral data easy since they are not moving very much, but it makes collecting fecal material difficult. Instead of defecating several times each day, the monkeys defecate only once around 4pm. Howler monkeys in a single group tend to defecate all at one time. Now though, because they are all resting in a pile, they also all defecate in the same place. This makes matching samples to monkeys tricky. We get all of the samples coming at us at one time in one place, and we only have one chance at them per day. Sample collection is hectic to say the least. Still, we’re getting it done. We have not missed a single sample, and we were able to collect from the 5-month-old infant again this week!

This week we also ran into a large fer-de-lance (or nauyaca). It was at least 2m long and curled up in a ruin. It was beautiful. Its coloring was quite different from the small one we found a few weeks ago though. I believe this week’s was a true fer-de-lance. The small one is likely a different species, but I’ll have to check with a herpetologist.

The hummingbird nest we found (unharmed) near the nauyaca this week was also beautiful. It’s amazing how small they are! Slightly bigger than a golf ball…with mint-sized eggs. It was in a tree about 1.5m tall. I’m always amazed at how fragile they seem and at how precariously placed they are. I wonder how often they are damaged or destroyed.

SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2011 AT 05:51PM

There’s another new infant! This time it’s in our other focal group, Balam. On our last day with Balam, two weeks ago, we couldn’t find Luz, and when we found her this week, she had a baby! Just like in the Motiepa group, the other female in the Balam group kept taking the infant from Luz. It’s a little different in this case though because Teresa does not have her own young one, and we haven’t witnessed any aggression over it yet.

The other exciting news is that we were able to collect from two more of our outside groups this week. That means that only one remains, and we still have five weeks. Although we’re not completely finished with the extra groups, being so far along this early on takes a lot of the stress away.

Aside from these two developments, the rest of the week was pretty routine. We did spot a new kind of snake (for us) on Tuesday though. It was only a couple of centimeters in diameter and maybe a meter long, but it was a beautiful green/blue/turquoise color with a red/brown head. I’ve never seen it before, and I haven’t been able to identify it yet, but it was quite striking. Unfortunately, the encounter was too quick for a photo so I’ll have to rely on my memory as I continue to search for it in books.

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2011 AT 02:36PM

Week 4 was full of little surprises. The most exciting was that we were able to collect a fecal sample from Melanie’s “infant,” who is now about 5 months old. Samples from monkeys that young are tiny and tend to fall without warning so they are very hard to get. Furthermore, the unique developmental stage and diet (milk and solid food) of this juvenile suggest there may be interesting microbial differences when I compare this sample to the others. The fact that we were able to get it made me happy for most of the week.

Most of the other surprises this week involved Isa’s infant, who is only about three weeks old. The first series of situations came about because Melanie kept taking the baby from Isa. Most times Isa didn’t seem to mind, but one time she clearly wanted him back. The only problem was that Melanie didn’t want to give him back. She grimaced and swatted at Isa, who acted submissive and had to wait patiently until Melanie finally allowed Isa to take him. Intra-group aggression is fairly rare in howlers, so to see Melanie lash out was unexpected, especially when she is not the mother. Brianna and I were on opposite sides of the tree watching different monkeys when it happened, but we both saw it and gasped at the same time. Obviously, Melanie has a strong interest in this infant, but we’re still not sure why.

Another time, Maia, the infant’s one-year-old sister somehow ended up with him on her back. It was amazing to see how big such a tiny monkey looked on an only slightly-bigger monkey. The whole situation was funny in a sweet kind of way until Maia decided she wanted to play. All of sudden, she was hanging from her tail with her brother clinging onto her for dear life while she tried to undo his grasp one limb at a time. We all held our breaths until Isa came to the rescue and took him back. To be honest, I was impressed that Maia could hold both of them up for so long using only her tail. He looked heavy!

Everything else was fairly routine this week. The heat index was at 43C (109 F). The monkeys slept for four hours each day. We found some more ticks. There were several intergroup interactions in opposing Poulsenia trees. And, of course, we had to walk part-way home yesterday because no ‘colectivos’ showed up outside the ruins and the forest when we were done for the day. Also, on a slightly unrelated note, I went on a run this morning, and there are trees with beautiful pink flowers in bloom everywhere along the highway. It made me smile.

MONDAY, MAY 9, 2011 AT 04:05PM

Things got a little crazy with the beginning of May. Our focal group this week decided to stay out of view during many of the hours we were following them. We got data, but we had to work hard for it. At the same time, a neighboring group that we want fecal samples from for this season appeared and foiled us on two separate occasions. We decided to try to get samples as long as we knew where the group was, but the first time they appeared, they did not defecate. The second day, they all switched spots right before they defecated and did it from high up in a tree so that not a single sample fell to the ground in one piece.

To make up for our lost opportunity with the extra groups, Brianna and I split up to collect from two other extra groups on Saturday with the help of colleagues. Both of these forays were successful , and we now have half of our extra groups sampled in addition to the focal data we have been collecting.

The dry season means ticks, and this week I had my fair share of ticks. I found ten on me in the field in one day, which is more than the total number I have found on me in past years. Luckily, most of them were still crawling around looking for a place to dig in when I saw them. I only found one or two that had actually bitten me already.

5 de mayo was this week, and although it was quiet in Palenque, just the thought of a holiday put me in a good mood. This was a good thing though because it kept me alert, and I was able to spot what I consider my “5 de mayo present from the forest” quickly. As we were marching out of the forest for the day, I spotted a ‘nauyaca,’ or fer-de-lance, in the center of the path. It was very small (maybe 0.5 meters), and it was coiled up and seemed to almost not notice us. These snakes are very venomous, and supposedly common in this forest, but I’ve seen very few during my time here. I prefer that for our safety, but snakes fascinate me. We stood and took pictures of this one from a safe distance until I was able to tear myself away. Unfortunately, this made us a little late in getting out of the forest, and there were no ‘colectivos’ (public transportation vans) to give us a ride when we emerged from the forest. We had a long walk home, but to me it was worth seeing the nauyaca.

MONDAY, MAY 2, 2011 AT 05:47PM

This week went by quickly despite the hot weather. It was still hot, though. After a certain point, you expect to not be able to tell the difference between a few degrees, but you definitely can tell.

The most exciting discovery of the week was that there is another baby in the Motiepa group. I wrote about Melanie having an infant a few months ago, and she is still around. Isa has an infant now too though. We think it is about two weeks old, and we think it is a male. I tried to take a picture again, but when they’re so small, it’s hard to see them in the photos.

Another interesting thing is that one of the males copulated with Isa this week. The interbirth interval in these monkeys is supposed to be a little more than a year, but Isa’s last daughter just recently turned one, and she has already given birth, AND she is apparently copulating now even though she has a tiny infant. My guess is that nothing will come of the copulation, but it did happen!

Everything else has been pretty routine. The monkeys are starting to eat more fruits. One, Poulsenia armata, is very sweet, and I’ve seen tourists pick one up for a snack occasionally. They’re about the size of a strawberry though and have lots of seeds inside (approximately the size of orange seeds), so it’s not much of a snack. The monkeys also started eating a fruit that I hadn’t seen them eat since my seed dispersal work in 2008.

SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2011 AT 02:11PM

The last round of data collection is off to a good start. The weather is really hot, and the monkeys were very inactive at the beginning of the week. However, a rain storm in the middle of the week cooled things off a bit, and the feeding and defecation behavior that this project hinges on began to increase. Still, most days were spent in interactions with other groups. Our focal group spent three of the five field days this week howling at two neighboring groups. Maybe it was the howling that distracted them from eating and not the heat.

It was also Semana Santa in Mexico (the week before Easter) so the park has been full of tourists. Bus after bus arrives with people visiting Palenque during their vacations. Luckily, the group we started with is in a slightly less-visited area of the park so we weren’t overwhelmed by tourists. Still, it’s nice to be able to share what we know about the howlers with the people that pass, and we met several groups of people that were very interested in the forest and the monkeys.

SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2011 AT 12:16PM

Round 2 is officially finished! Data collection, that is. Shipment of samples will happen tomorrow, but my first shipment went through last week so I’m optimistic. Round 1 samples were sent back to me because of a miscommunication on packaging so I had to get those out the door before I could really organize the Round 2 samples. Round 1 samples have arrived in the U.S. though, so hopefully some time this week all my samples will be together in a freezer at the University of Illinois.

In the field, the week was fairly good. Two monkeys have left the group we followed this week. The group had become quite large (10 individuals), and these two individuals had been disappearing and reappearing for the past few months. It’s been at least a month since we’ve seen them now so I think this time they may be gone for good. Both males and females disperse in this species, but both of these individuals were males.

The monkeys have also been resting a lot more since temperatures are starting to rise. Outside the forest today I think we hit 39C. During the dry season (coming up), temperatures will start hitting 40-42C fairly regularly so this is just a taste of what’s to come. It’s cooler under the canopy, but it still gets pretty hot. Of course, we’re not the only ones that feel the heat. The monkeys tend to sprawl out on branches under the canopy during the hottest hours of the day. It’s easy to keep track of them, but it makes data collection much less exciting.

There were a few animal sightings that kept our last field day interesting when the monkeys were sleeping. First, I saw a small orange/tan mammal run out from a behind a fallen tree. I could have been an agouti since two species exist here (one black and one tan). I didn’t get a great look at it though, and it looked like it could have been something else. A few minutes later, a male great currasow strutted by. I recently saw an article about bird populations in Mexico, and it reported that this species does not exist in Palenque. However, today was one of several sightings I’ve had in the past few years. Finally, our favorites, the agoutis. One almost walked into us again! This time there didn’t seem to be any sort of mating or fighting going on, but it was equally oblivious. It amazes me that, as prey animals, they are so easy to surprise. I managed to get a picture of it as it ran away. (They are about the size of a house cat for reference, but they look like giant hamsters with longer legs.)

That’s all for now. We’ll take a two-week break, and then I’ll start updating on our final round of data collection!

SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2011 AT 06:50PM

We finished our second rotation with Balam this week! The group kept moving from tree to tree all week, but on the last day they stayed in areas that were more easily visible. Only one more week left with Motiepa! In the next two days we will send our first shipment of samples to the U.S. as well.

In other news, my rubber boots now have holes in them. I guess they weren’t made for walking over Mayan ruins everyday all day for a whole year. My next big field decision is whether to try to tape them or patch them or buy new ones.

No pictures from this week, but since I had to post two weeks at once (no internet on the permit trip last weekend), the pictures from Week 8 will hopefully help ameliorate the situation.

SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2011 AT 06:08PM

The weeks are starting to fly by. It’s interesting because the days seem long in the field. (My focal observations require me to be looking at my watch every two minutes for the entire eleven hours I am in the field everyday.) However, because we really don’t have time for anything else during the day, before I know it a whole week has passed.

The weather took another turn this week, unfortunately. After starting with a few beautiful days, we had an entire day of rain followed by a less-cloudy but equally-rainy day. It has been keeping the weather cooler, but it starts to wear on your mood…especially when the monkeys seek shelter as well and make data collection difficult.

On a more positive note, the female infant in the group we were following has grown significantly over the past month. It leaves its mother sometimes to go investigate other members of the group, and this week I saw it putting leaves in its mouth. No ingestion yet, but it’s at least interested in “adult food.”

Time is starting to pass quickly as we get closer to the end of this sampling block. Although this was a short week, it was busy. My birthday incited some social events that took extra time as well. Of course, birthdays are always fun. The highlight was coming back from a run and realizing that Brianna had decorate our entire cabana in balloons.

It also seems to be agouti mating season or something similar. On our way into the field on Saturday, we stumbled across at least six agoutis running around making grunting and screaming noises. One almost even ran into Brianna before it noticed her…only to jump out of the way in my direction, which lead to another last-minute leap. It was hilarious. Unfortunately, agoutis are too quick for pictures.

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011 AT 10:01AM

This week went by quickly, and we were able to collect great data. It also seemed to be “animal encounter week.” We saw an inguana, an agouti, a kinkajou, a boa, and an owl while following the monkeys. I almost stepped on the boa, which scared me because my first thought was that it was a fer-de-lance (or nauyaca, as they call it in Mexico). It was stretched out alongside the path, and I stumbled upon it just as we were leaving the forest for the day. My reaction was not graceful, but it got me out of the way quickly enough.

As for other animal encounters, we found an interesting insect on Brianna’s shirt. I’ve included a picture below. The monkeys also decided to come down from the canopy on some lianas for a visit. They were actually traveling along the lianas to a different tree, but the close-up view was amazing. They do not come down low very often, but whenever they do, it gives me a greater appreciation for them. It makes the work seem more personal.

We took a long weekend to rest (and even out our data for the two focal groups). However, instead of lounging around in Palenque, we took a quick trip with some friends to Campeche and Merida. I had never been into the Yucatan Peninsula, so even though it was only a two-day adventure, I enjoyed it. We got to see the ocean, and we even tried some local specialties like cochinita pibil (a marinated pork dish), sopa de limon (lime soup), and agua de chaya (spinach water). I also got some great seafood. Aside from the food, the cities were both very pretty. The houses are painted in bright colors, and in Campeche, old forts are dotted throughout the city.

Field work starts up again tomorrow!

This week was much better than last week. The weather cleared up, and we have beautiful blue skies. The group this week hid in difficult trees a little bit, but for the most part they were clearly visible, and we were able to collect good data. The warmer weather is also making the monkeys come down a little lower in the canopy for shelter from the sun. Nothing too extreme yet, but it’s much better than it has been. Hopefully things will continue this way until the end!

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2011 AT 03:58PM

This week was rainy, gray, and long. Data collection was the worst it has been. The monkeys stayed in trees where they were not visible for most of the week…BUT we still got all the fecal samples we needed from our focal group in addition to our fourth outside group.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2011 AT 05:18PM

Most of my excitement this week had to do with sampling. It was a cloudy, chilly week, and the monkeys were very hard to see up in the trees against the gray sky. However, with the help of some other researchers in the park, we were able to find one of the extra groups we collect from once every three months. This group has a challenging home range so they are tricky to find. It was great that we could get them relatively early in this rotation! Then, we were able to get another extra group at the end of the week. It also inhabits the park and borders the home range of one of our focal groups that we follow around for the behavioral work. We now have half of our extra groups collected so things will hopefully be less stressful for the rest of this 10-week period. The groups that remain are much easier to find.

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2011 AT 07:54PM

This week we had to deal with a lot of rain. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the monkeys hadn’t chosen to sit in a tree that is only visible from the highway for two days straight. Normally, the trees shelter us from the rain somewhat, but out on the road, we were wet after only a few minutes even with our rain gear. Ironically, we were able to get more data on those days then on the last day when the sun finally came out. That’s when the monkeys decided to stay in a tree where visibility was super low for the entire day. Needless to say we were tired and frustrated by the end of it. However, we still got all of the samples we needed and some decent behavioral data!

On Sunday we collected from a group of monkeys in a forest fragment near the Palenque airport. They led us around in circles for two hours before finally settling down. Along the way I was swarmed by wasps and got stung at least four times, and we were constantly in danger of falling into a small river that they kept crossing. Luckily, they decided to stop in some very low trees, and although we had to wait from 6:30am until 2pm for them to defecate, we were able to get the samples we needed pretty easily. While we were waiting we even saw a gray fox!

In other news, today the president of Mexico is arriving in Palenque. The road will be shut down for a little while tomorrow, but it shouldn’t affect us since we’ll be in the forest. I don’t expect we’ll see the caravan, but who knows?! (Update: he just arrived using four helicopters and landed a few hundred feet from where we stay!)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 23, 2011 AT 10:48PM

It is hard to believe that the first week of data collection during the “intermediate season” (between rainy and dry) is over. Things went relatively well. We found the monkeys pretty easily on the first day, and the weather was nice. However, they stayed high up in a tree eating flowers for the most of the week, and it was difficult to see them. The weather also turned rainy and cold, which put a damper on things, but all in all, I would call it a successful week.

In other news, I found a camera trap that was set up by a group of colleagues in the forest. I had no idea it was there, and I was amazed at how much the flash scared me when it went off. Unfortunately, it only captured me from the waist down so my expression was not documented. Right after that a small, red-ish deer walked right past Brianna and myself. It couldn’t have been farther than a couple meters. Deer are in the forest, but that was only the second time I had seen one (and the first time I had seen one well).

Last night, we had another visit from the army ants. They started in the front door, but we avoided a complete invasion by spraying insecticide in a line near the door. They came in, arrived at the line, and turned around again. Outside it was a different story, as shown in the photo.

Data collection in the National Park ended about a week ago. I’d like to say that it went smoothly, but the monkeys stayed high up in big trees that were impossible to see into. It seems like that is the trend of the season. Hopefully once things start to heat up, they’ll come back down into the lower part of the canopy to avoid the heat, and data collection will be slightly easier.

Our last week of data collection in the park was also Mexico’s National Conservation Week. We could not participate in all of the events since we had to be in the field, but on Saturday we were finally able to do so. I ran in a 7km race from the guard station to the entrance to the ruins. There is a huge hill right before the entrance to the ruins, and I was happy to just to make it up. I did finish the race though and ended up winning the women’s class…slow and steady! Sarah and Brianna cheered me on as I ran up the hill (after collecting our last missing fecal sample of the week from the monkeys…who were also right alongside the highway on the hill).

One of the other field assistants here gave a tree-climbing demonstration afterwards, and later in the evening there was a conservation fair in the city center. There were singers and dancers, and the three of us served as judges for the “ecological costume” contest. The dresses and outfits made by the participants were impressive. Materials included chip bags, plastic bottles, straws, cd’s, and more. The decision was very hard to make!

Over the next three days, we took a trip to Tuxtla Gutierrez and San Cristobal de las Casas. I had to process export permits for my samples in Tuxtla, and we took advantage of the trip to tour some of the interesting areas nearby. Sarah and Brianna took a ride down the Canyon del Sumidero. We visited ZooMAT, a zoo in Tuxtla devoted to animals from Chiapas only. We also visited San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan, two indigenous villages nearby. The church in San Juan Chamula is actually a Mayan temple where traditional rites are still practiced. It was fascinating. There were candles everywhere, and there were constantly people processing in and out with music.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2010 AT 10:36PM

This week I finished the rainy season data collection for one of my focal groups. Unfortunately, we were reminded that it is still the rainy season. There were several downpours, and the monkeys went back to their favorite hiding spots from the past few weeks. Fortunately, my second field assistant arrived on Tuesday so there were three of us to entertain each other when data collection was made impossible. We were even able to spot a red-capped manikin doing its mating display on a nearby tree one day. (It appeared to successfully attract at least one mate!)

I visited Escarcega, Campeche for a day this weekend to see another site where two colleagues/friends are working–Nicoletta Righini and Rodolfo Martinez. It is called El Tormento and is a semi-deciduous forest with trees much shorter than those in Palenque (20m vs. 50m tall). It was a nice trip, and it was interesting to see howler monkeys in such a different habitat. On top of the fact that the shorter trees make the monkeys closer, these monkeys are marked with colored anklets. Although it seemed to be very helpful, the monkeys still found ways to position themselves that made it difficult to tell who was who.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2010 AT 02:59PM

The weather was much nicer this week, which was excellent for data collection. For the first time since she’s arrived, Sarah got to take uninterrupted focal data without having to run around and crane her neck so much. My second assistant, Brianna, arrives on Tuesday so hopefully the good field conditions will continue.

I woke up to army ants in my bed at 3am two days ago. Luckily, I got away with only a few bites, but it was quite the experience. I think their trail was going over my pillow, and I must have interrupted it by moving in my sleep. Needless to say, they were everywhere. After taking care of the ones in my bed though, we left the rest alone, and they were gone in the morning.

Yesterday the monkeys stayed in the same two trees all day. It would have been relaxing except that the only place that I could see the tree from was the highway. The view was pretty good (see picture below), but I couldn’t sit down, and I was in the direct sun. By 1pm I was exhausted. On the positive side, I got to interact with a huge amount of tourists walking by. Most people are genuinely curious about the monkeys, and it’s nice to have opportunity to share some of what I know.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2010 AT 04:08PM

This was a long week to say the least. Storms blew down from the north so it was cold and rainy almost everyday, all day. I spent most of my field time trying to find the monkeys where they had taken cover or sitting under the tree where I knew they all were but could not see anything. Luckily, the last two field days were slightly better. The weather turned beautiful both afternoons, the monkeys became more active, and I was able to get all the fecal samples I needed on the last day.

The one nice thing about so much daytime rain was that I could finally document the flooding in and around where I stay. The water rises and falls dramatically within a matter of hours. The picture below is of my field assistant, Sarah, standing on one of the only bridges not covered by the swollen stream.

Sarah arrived a little more than a week ago and is helping me in the field three days a week. She also volunteers at a nearby zoo/rehabilitation center three days a week to get some extra experience before she (hopefully) starts vet school next year. She has become my bird expert in the field in addition to helping with data collection.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2010 AT 04:01PM

My first field assistant has arrived so data collection is continuing to go smoothly. I saw my first fer-de-lance in the field but was luckily able to collect the fecal samples falling around it without any incident.

Day of the Dead is fairly quiet in Palenque, but there are some exhibits and altars up near city hall. There are also flowers everywhere and plenty of traffic in the cemetery.

Data collection continues to go well for the most part. I’ve had some difficulty getting samples from extra groups inside the park. A lot of sitting and waiting on my part and not enough sample dropping from the monkeys. I did scale a very large, unexcavated Mayan ruin yesterday in pursuit of an outside group. I still didn’t end up with any samples (due to the ruin), but it was amazing how high and steep the structure was. I’m glad I work with groups in the flatter areas of the park.

An infant was born in one of the groups, which is a fun change. They have so little hair when they’re born that they look pink-ish, and it’s amazing how big their hands are. The most important thing for them is to be able to hold on to their mom though, so it makes sense.

So far I have seen only one snake here in the past month and a half, and it was not the venomous type. These fruits, however, are quite dangerous. They are large, hard, and fall from very high trees. They scare me more than any snake, but luckily, I have never been close to one falling.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2010 AT 06:08PM

Collection is continuing well, and the rain has slowed down significantly. Apparently, there are more tropical storms headed this way so the break in the rain may be temporary, but I’m enjoying the lack of flooding and muddy water coming out the faucet.

A few days ago I saw my first deer in the forest thanks to a field assistant helping out on another project. The monkeys have been visiting areas of their territory which I’ve never seen before. It’s nice to have a better idea of the border areas of the territory, but I also end up in places like the one pictured below.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2010 AT 06:43PM

Tropical storms are passing through the area so it floods in the area every night. It’s very impressive how quickly the water rises and falls. Luckily, most of the rain falls at night and not when I’m in the field.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 AT 07:48PM

I got my first round of fecal samples yesterday, which was great. Today the monkeys slept a lot so the day was more relaxed. On the way back to my cabana from the forest, the collective van I hopped into was playing peppy, stereotypical Mexican music. There were three people squeezed in the front, one with a blue bandana tied around his neck. The man sitting next to me in the back had a giant basket of gum and candy and cigarettes for sale. The driver had looped a rosary around the rear-view mirror. In the middle of the windshield there was a small rubber chicken, a Jesus medallion, and an orange pine tree air freshener all attached with suction cups. A Virgin of Guadalupe sticker was up in the righthand corner of the windshield as well. All of this reminded me that I am in Mexico, and it put me in a good mood.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2010 AT 07:40PM

Things are going well in the field so far. I collected my first round of fecal samples today. It also rained like you would think it rains in the rainforest. The monkeys started howling at the same time. That combined with the thunder and the flooding trail made for quite a scene.

I had a few visa issues coming in since they marked my status incorrectly, but those are hopefully fixed now after hours of waiting in the immigration office. Now my biggest concerns are how to get to internet often enough to keep up with business and where to find the monkeys every morning.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2010 AT 01:45PM

Leaving for the field on September 12, 2010