4/10/2023 0 Comments New world monkeys![]() ![]() Fading light in and out is beneficial so primates are not plunged in and out of lightness and darkness. It is therefore recommended that all monkeys in a colony room are well illuminated and exposed not only to the same quantity, but also to the same quality of light.įurthermore, providing different degrees of illumination within an enclosure(preferably sunshine and shade) gives the monkeys a choice of exposure.If natural lighting is not possible, rooms illuminated by artificial fluorescent lighting may be operated by automatic time switches that are adjusted seasonally to mimic the natural changes in day length in the species' habitat. In addition, illumination affects behavior for example those in brighter conditions engage in more loco motor activity than those housed in dim lighting conditions. However, there is growing evidence that illumination may directly affect the monkeys' breeding success, such that they breed better in a bright than in a dim environment. While there are guidelines for indoor colonies to maintain temperatures and humidities within the natural range, light has received very little attention. In designing their captive environments, both the needs of the animals and the needs of the caretakers must be taken into consideration. Fortunately,there are field data available for those New World primates most commonly kept in laboratories. Therefore, no standard captive environment can be advocated, but rather the housing and husbandry should take into account both species and individual differences. The first point to note about New World primates is their diversity each species occupies a distinct ecological niche. Issues relating to the handling of New World primates are also discussed. The theme running throughout is that primates should have some control over their environment and activities as this appears to promote well-being on both psychological and physiological levels. The aspects covered are climatic considerations, cage size and complexity, diet and food acquisition, and the social environment. The aim of this chapter is to attempt to identify some of these aspects that can be reproduced in captivity. Caretakers should seek knowledge of the natural lifestyles of the primates in their charge, and attempt to reproduce in the captive environment the salient aspects of the natural habitats that are biologically relevant to the animals. New World primates have evolved over millions of years and have developed complex physiological, anatomical and behavioral adaptations to live in Neotropical forests (Figure 1). University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland Scottish Primate Research Group, Department of Psychology,
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