The surreptitious life of the saddle-backed tamarin.

An attempt is made to answer why the small South American Saguinus fuscicollis is relatively rare and why it maintains large territories with fixed boundaries. The key appears to be access during July and August to Combretum vine nectar, which is a poor resource; the rest of the year it feeds on a succession of ripening fruit. Therefore boundaries are fixed to cut across habitat types so that each territory contains a maximum diversity of habitats and a year-round supply of the appropriate food.-J.W.Cooper

Duke Scholars

Author John W. Terborgh Environmental Sciences and Policy