Getting better temporal and spatial ecology data for threatened species: using lightweight GPS devices for small primate monitoring in the northern Andes of Colombia

Abstract

The use of GPS telemetry has been a reliable research tool for the study of primate biology in recent years. Although in the past technological restrictions limited its use mainly to large primates, recent improvements in battery size make it possible to use this technology for small species. We used GPS devices for monitoring two adult white-footed tamarins (Saguinus leucopus) from a free-ranging group, and assessed its applicability for recording spatial and ecological data. GPS devices were operational for 66 and 85 days, recording 221 positions (36.6% acquisition rate; 73% of which were highly accurate) and 3195 activity values for both individuals. Depending on the estimation method, we calculated the home range size for the group to be 19.4 and 22.9 ha, which were within the range for the species in other localities. The animals were active each day for 11 h, with high activity during the early morning. The monkeys showed a constant and alternate use of four sleeping sites with a limited reuse of the same site on consecutive nights. These daily activity and sleeping site use patterns are similar to those reported for other Saguinus species. Based on the kind and quality of the data recorded, we consider GPS telemetry to be an efficient and advantageous method for tracking and obtaining ecological information from S. leucopus. In comparison to other data collection methods, GPS telemetry required fewer personnel and less time commitment to record data without compromising the accuracy of the spatial and activity information we obtained.