Scholars@Duke
Thomas T Struhsaker

Thomas T Struhsaker

Adjunct Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology
Evolutionary Anthropology

Selected Publications

Midden contents as indicators of possible predator–prey relations from a sink hole on Unguja, Zanzibar, Tanzania

Journal Article African Journal of Ecology · September 1, 2024 A sample of midden contents found in a sink hole on Unguja, Zanzibar were dominated by Crocidura and Mastomys (probably natalensis) and were likely the remains following predation. I suggest that future studies of these middens in the numerous sink holes f ... Full text Cite

To conserve African tropical forests, invest in the protection of its most endangered group of monkeys, red colobus

Journal Article Conservation Letters · May 1, 2024 Forest loss and overhunting are eroding African tropical biodiversity and threatening local human food security, livelihoods, and health. Emblematic of this ecological crisis is Africa's most endangered group of monkeys, the red colobus (genus Piliocolobus ... Full text Cite

Primate population dynamics in Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda, over nearly five decades.

Journal Article Primates; journal of primatology · November 2023 Many anthropogenic-driven changes, such as hunting, have clear and immediate negative impacts on wild primate populations, but others, like climate change, may take generations to become evident. Thus, informed conservation plans will require decades of po ... Full text Cite

Photographs from: Fire prevention and natural reforestation of grasslands in the Ngogo area of Kibale National Park, Uganda (1976-2018)

Dataset · November 8, 2022 Photographs were taken from the top of Ngogo Hill (~ 0 degrees 30' N., 30 degrees 25.5' E.) in what is now the Kibale National Park at irregular intervals between 1976 and 2018 with the intent of demonstrating habitat changes over time. When the first phot ... Full text Cite

Digitized tape recordings of Red colobus and other African forest monkey species vocalizations

Dataset · August 24, 2022 These tape recordings were made as part of a general study of the behavioral ecology of 10 taxa of red colobus monkeys (Piliocolobus) and 29 other taxa of African monkeys, mainly Cercopithecus but including Cercocebus, Lophocebus, and the rare Allochrocebu ... Full text Cite

The life of a naturalist.

Journal Article Primates; journal of primatology · May 2022 This essay summarizes some of my findings while studying primates in the field from 1962 to 2018. Although I have studied primates throughout the tropics, I focused on Africa, primarily the Kibale Forest of Uganda. My research began in the early days of pr ... Full text Open Access Cite

I Remember Africa: a Field Biologist's Half-Century Perspective

Book · December 29, 2021 The stories range from the savannas of East Africa to the rain forests of Central and West Africa. ... Cite

Paul James Struhsaker (1935–2018)

Journal Article Ichthyology & Herpetology · December 6, 2021 Full text Cite

In Memoriam: Galen Rathbun (1944–2019)

Journal Article Journal of Mammalogy · February 21, 2020 Full text Cite

Facial and genital lesions in baboons (Papio anubis) of Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Journal Article Primates; journal of primatology · March 2019 We describe and document with digital images two adult male baboons (Papio anubis) from the Kibale National Park, Uganda who were infected with some kind of disease having clinical signs suggestive of Treponema pallidum. One of these males was missing his ... Full text Cite

Dietary Variability in Redtail Monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti) of Kibale National Park, Uganda: the Role of Time, Space, and Hybridization

Journal Article International Journal of Primatology · October 1, 2017 Studies of the diet of different groups of the same species allow us to understand intraspecific dietary variability. I collected dietary data from six neighboring groups of redtail monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti) and three hybrid monkeys over 12 ... Full text Open Access Cite

Remembering Jerry Lwanga: A Perspective from His Colleagues

Journal Article International Journal of Primatology · April 1, 2016 Full text Cite

A Tribute to Dr. Jerry Lwanga (7 June 1960-31 August 2015)

Journal Article African Journal of Ecology · December 2015 Full text Cite

Long-term declines in nutritional quality of tropical leaves.

Journal Article Ecology · March 2015 Global change is affecting plant and animal populations and many of the changes are likely subtle and difficult to detect. Based on greenhouse experiments, changes in temperature and rainfall, along with elevated CO2, are expected to impact the nutritional ... Full text Cite

Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas.

Journal Article Nature · September 2012 The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural eco ... Full text Cite

Primate population dynamics over 32.9 years at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Journal Article American journal of primatology · October 2011 We present census data for eight primate species spanning 32.9 years along the same transect at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda, demonstrating major changes in the composition of the primate community. Correlated with an estimated decline of ∼89% in th ... Full text Cite

Healthy baboon with no upper jaw or nose: an extreme case of adaptability in the Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Journal Article Primates · January 2011 We describe and document with digital images an adult female baboon (Papio anubis) from the Kibale National Park, Uganda, who was missing all but the basal part of her upper jaw and nose, i.e., no premaxilla and very little of the maxilla and nasal bones. ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Red Colobus Monkeys: Variation in Demography, Behavior, and Ecology of Endangered Species

Book · May 1, 2010 Based on field studies spanning nearly 40 years, this reference book summarizes and integrates past research with new and previously unpublished information on the behavioral ecology of Africa's red colobus monkeys from study sites as diverse as Senegal, U ... Full text Cite

Vocalizations

Chapter · 2010 Cite

Understanding long-term primate community dynamics: implications of forest change.

Journal Article Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America · January 2010 Understanding the causes of population declines often involves comprehending a complex set of interactions linking environmental and biotic changes, which in combination overwhelm a population's ability to persist. To understand these relationships, especi ... Full text Cite

Demographic variability in monkeys: Implications for theory and conservation

Journal Article International Journal of Primatology · February 1, 2008 Demographic parameters of nonhuman primates, like those of all other organisms, vary over time and space. However, many contemporary models comparing multiple species treat these parameters as if they were static. Population density, group size, age-sex co ... Full text Cite

Long-term research and conservation in Kibale National Park

Conference · January 1, 2008 Introduction. The need for effective conservation in Africa is urgent because of ever-increasing human pressures on Africa’s forests and other ecosystems. The presence of long-term research programs can be one way to promote and support conservation. Scien ... Full text Cite

Vegetative predictors of primate abundance: utility and limitations of a fine-scale analysis.

Journal Article American journal of primatology · November 2007 Determining ecological predictors of primate abundance is important for both theoretical and applied conservation management. For forest primates, research has focused on comparisons of primate abundance and vegetation in different forest blocks or forest ... Full text Cite

Abundance of diurnal primates in Mwanihana Forest, Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania

Journal Article International Journal of Primatology · June 1, 2006 Many individual researchers have used line transect counts to estimate forest primate abundance. They have devoted less attention to the interpretation of line transect data obtained by several observers, as is often the case in long-term monitoring progra ... Full text Cite

Conservation of red colobus and their habitats

Journal Article International Journal of Primatology · June 1, 2005 A review of the conservation status of red colobus indicates that ≥38.9% of the taxa are threatened with extinction in the near future. Although no taxon of red colobus appears to have gone extinct, many of their populations have. The major threats are hun ... Full text Cite

Thirty years of research in Kibale National Park, Uganda, reveals a complex picture for conservation

Journal Article International Journal of Primatology · June 1, 2005 Kibale National Park, Uganda, has a rich and abundant primate community and a complicated history of anthropogenic disturbance. Moreover, it has been the focus of over 30 yr of research and has received considerable attention from nongovernmental and gover ... Full text Cite

Conserving Africa's rain forests: Problems in protected areas and possible solutions

Journal Article Biological Conservation · May 1, 2005 Problems and correlates of success in the conservation of Africa's rain forests were evaluated for 16 protected areas in 11 countries, representing approximately half of all protected areas in this biome. Data were obtained from questionnaires, published a ... Full text Cite

A long-term evaluation of fruiting phenology: importance of climate change.

Journal Article Journal of Tropical Ecology. · January 2005 Full text Cite

Demographic variation among Udzungwa red colobus in relation to gross ecological and sociological parameters

Journal Article International Journal of Primatology · June 1, 2004 We evaluated variation in group size and composition of Udzungwa red colobus (Procolobus gordonorum) in relation to gross-habitat and sociological parameters. The endangered species is endemic to the Udzungwa Mountains and nearby forests in the Kilombero V ... Full text Cite

Assessment of the Diversity of African Primates

Conference International Journal of Primatology · December 1, 2003 This account of the systematics of African primates is the consensus view of a group of authors who attended the Workshop of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group held at Orlando, Florida, in February 2000. We list all species and subspecies that we consid ... Full text Cite

Strategies for conserving forest national parks in Africa with a case study from Uganda

Conference MAKING PARKS WORK: STRATEGIES FOR PRESERVING TROPICAL NATURE · January 1, 2002 Link to item Cite

Extinction of a West African red colobus monkey

Journal Article Conservation Biology · October 26, 2000 We provide the first documented case of the extinction in the twentieth century of a widely recognized primate taxon. During surveys in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire in 1993-1999, we were unable to find any surviving populations of Miss Waldron's red colobus mon ... Full text Cite

Tree population dynamics in Kibale National Park, Uganda 1975-1998

Journal Article African Journal of Ecology · October 5, 2000 Changes in species composition, stem abundance, and basal area of trees taller than or equal to 10 m in a medium altitude tropical rain forest at the Ngogo study area, Kibale National Park, Uganda are described for the period between 1975 and 1998 (n = 23 ... Full text Cite

The effects of predation and habitat quality on the socioecology of African monkeys: lessons from the islands of Bioko and Zanzibar

Chapter · May 4, 2000 This volume presents a broad, technical account of cercopithecoid biology including molecular, behavioral, and morphological approaches to phylogeny, population structure, allometry, fossil history, functional morphology, ecology, cognitive ... ... Cite

Variation in adult sex ratios of red colobus monkey social groups: implications for interspecific comparisons

Chapter · May 4, 2000 Written by leading authorities, this book provides an extensive overview of variation in group composition across all major primate taxa, using up-to-date reviews, case studies, evolutionary theory and theoretical models, setting primates ... ... Cite

Long-term effects of logging on African primate communities: A 28-year comparison from Kibale National Park, Uganda

Journal Article Conservation Biology · February 1, 2000 If logging is to be compatible with primate conservation, primate populations must be expected to recover from the disturbance and eventually return to their former densities. Surveys conducted over 28 years were used to quantify the long-term effects of b ... Full text Cite

Primate community dynamics in old growth forest over 23.5 years at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda: Implications for conservation and census methods

Journal Article International Journal of Primatology · January 1, 2000 Few data exist regarding long-term changes in primate populations in old-growth, tropical forests. In the absence of this information, it is unclear how to assess population trends efficiently and economically. We addressed these problems by conducting lin ... Full text Cite

Colobus monkeys and coconuts: A study of perceived human-wildlife conflicts

Journal Article Journal of Applied Ecology · December 1, 1999 1. Approximately half of the remaining Zanzibar red colobus Procolobus kirkii, one of Africa's most endangered primates, reside permanently outside protected areas, many within agricultural areas. Consequently, conservation of this endangered species is st ... Full text Cite

Primate communities in Africa: The consequences of long-term evolution or the artifact of recent hunting?

Chapter · October 14, 1999 Comprehensive and unique volume exploring the differences and similarities between primate communities worldwide. ... Cite

Ecology of the Zanzibar red colobus monkey: Demographic variability and habitat stability

Journal Article International Journal of Primatology · January 1, 1999 We examined the Zanzibar red colobus' (Procolobus kirkii) social structure and population dynamics in relation to the density, diversity and dispersion of food resources in ground-water forest and agricultural land, which we characterized in terms of red c ... Full text Cite

Zanzibar's endangered red colobus monkeys

Journal Article National Geographic · November 1, 1998 A mother with a child clutching her tightly dashes between groves near the Jozani Forest Reserve, home to most of the world's remaining 2,000 Zanzibar red colobus monkeys. Tree dwellers by nature, the animals have lost much of their habitat and natural sou ... Cite

Translocation and introduction of the Zanzibar red colobus monkey: Success and failure with an endangered island endemic

Journal Article ORYX · January 1, 1998 The Zanzibar red colobus Procolobus kirkii is one of Africa's most endangered primates, with only c. 1500-2000 individuals remaining in the wild. The authors made preliminary surveys of three areas where this monkey was translocated or introduced in the 19 ... Full text Cite

Ecology of an African rain forest: logging in Kibale and the conflict between conservation and exploitation

Book · December 1, 1997 The author summarizes 20 years of research in the Kibale forest in Uganda. The main body of the book demonstrates the adverse effects of logging on community structure and other aspects of forest ecology. The author provides evidence that future logging mu ... Cite

Adsorptive capacity of charcoals eaten by Zanzibar red colobus monkeys: Implications for reducing dietary toxins

Journal Article International Journal of Primatology · January 1, 1997 Colobus monkeys on the African island of Zanzibar eat charcoal from burned trees and lying near kilns, where it is produced for cooking. This behavior may be a learned response for counteracting toxicity due to phenolic and similar compounds that occur in ... Full text Cite

Charcoal consumption by Zanzibar red colobus monkeys: Its function and its ecological and demographic consequences

Journal Article International Journal of Primatology · January 1, 1997 The Zanzibar red colobus monkey is the only primate, aside from humans, known to eat charcoal in the wild. All age classes and both sexes eat charcoal, but only those groups living in perennial gardens or near human dwellings do so. The habit appears to be ... Full text Cite

Elephants, selective logging and forest regeneration in the Kibale Forest, Uganda

Journal Article Journal of Tropical Ecology · January 1, 1996 The Kibale Forest, western Uganda, is the only site where studies have compared the impact of elephants on rainforest regeneration in logged and unlogged control areas. Elephants used heavily logged areas more than lightly logged and unlogged areas. Forest ... Full text Cite

Sexual dimorphism in canine length of woolly spider monkeys (Brachyteles arachnoides, E. Geoffroy 1806)

Journal Article International Journal of Primatology · October 1, 1993 We measured canine teeth from 28 woolly spider monkeys (Brachyteles arachnoides) to assess sexual dimorphism and population differences. The specimens are from the Brazilian states of Bahia, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. We f ... Full text Open Access Cite

TEAMWORK TACTICS

Journal Article NATURAL HISTORY · April 1, 1993 Link to item Cite

Mating system and reproductive success: a comparison of two African forest monkeys (Colobus badius and Cercopithecus ascanius)

Journal Article Behaviour · January 1, 1991 The folivorous red colobus lived in patrilineal, multi-male groups, whereas the omnivorous, redtail had matrilineal groups usually with only one adult male, but occasionally experiencing temporary multi-male influxes. In red colobus, offspring survival was ... Full text Cite

Prey selectivity by crowned hawk-eagles on monkeys in the Kibale Forest, Uganda

Journal Article Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology · June 1, 1990 Results are presented from a 3.25-year study of a nesting pair of crowned hawk-eagles and an 18-year study of a primate community in the Kibale Forest, Uganda. The proportional composition of the living population of prey species was compared with that of ... Full text Cite

Tree mortality in the Kibale Forest, Uganda: A case study of dieback in a tropical rain forest adjacent to exotic conifer plantations

Journal Article Forest Ecology and Management · January 1, 1989 We report the dieback of three out of five unrelated species of rain-forest canopy trees in a very restricted part of the Kibale Forest, W. Uganda that were monitored since 1977. High mortality rates began about 1978 and continued through 1986, reaching le ... Full text Cite

PRIMATE CONSERVATION - ISSUES AND STRATEGIES

Conference INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY · October 1, 1987 Link to item Cite

Forestry issues and conservation in Uganda

Journal Article Biological Conservation · January 1, 1987 Full text Cite

Forestry issues and conservation in Uganda

Journal Article Biological Conservation · January 1, 1987 This paper reviews current trends in the policy and use of Uganda's forestry resource. Deforestation significantly exceeds reafforestation. A diverse indigenous flora of hundreds of tree species is being replaced with 4-5 exotic tree species, having potent ... Full text Cite

Infanticide in a Patrilineal Society of Red Colobus Monkeys

Journal Article Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie · January 1, 1985 A case study of infanticide in a group of red colobus monkeys (Colobus badius tephrosceles) is described from the Kibale Forest, Uganda. It is the first documented case in non‐human primates of infanticide in a patrilineal social organization committed by ... Full text Cite

Observations on the red colobus (Colobus badius tephrosceles) of Mbisi Forest, south‐ west Tanzania

Journal Article African Journal of Ecology · January 1, 1984 The red colobus of Mbisis Forest in south‐west Tanzania are at the southern end of a chain of five discrete populations of C. b. tephrosceles. 220 km distant from their closest neighbours. At 7°40 S and 2200 m above sea level the Mbisi colobus live under e ... Full text Cite

Bush pig (Potamochoerus porcus) polychromatism and ecology in Kibale Forest, Uganda

Journal Article African Journal of Ecology · January 1, 1982 Bush pigs of Kibale Forest, Uganda, exhibit at least four pelage colour morphs. Two predominant morphs resemble the western subspecies, Potamochoerus porcus porcus, and the eastern/southern subspecies, P. porcus koiropotamus. Kibale Forest may be a zone of ... Full text Cite

Polyspecific Associations among Tropical Rain‐forest Primates

Journal Article Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie · January 1, 1981 New data on rain‐forest primate polyspecific associations, primarily from the Kibalc Forest of W. Uganda, are presented along with a re‐evaluation of previously published results. Although some of the associations appear to be chance phenomena, a number ar ... Full text Cite

Vocalizations, phylogeny and palaeogeography of red colobus monkeys (Colobus badius)

Journal Article African Journal of Ecology · January 1, 1981 Vocalizations from eight of the fourteen subspecies of red colobus monkeys were compared to the present‐day distribution of these subspecies and the hypothetical locations of upper Pleistocene forest refugia. Many of the similarities and differences in voc ... Full text Cite

Forest and primate conservation in East Africa

Journal Article African Journal of Ecology · January 1, 1981 The small ecological islands of rain forest remaining in East Africa and the monkeys and apes living in them are discussed. In Uganda, the number of monkey and ape species in any particular low to medium altitude rain forest seems to depend on three major ... Full text Cite

Observations on two rare and endangered populations of red colobus monkeys in East Africa: Colobus badius gordonorum and Colobus badius kirkii

Journal Article African Journal of Ecology · January 1, 1980 Ecological and behavioural observations on two rare and endangered red colobus subspecies, Colobus badius gordonorum and C.b. kirkii, made during brief surveys in 1977, are summarized. Information is given on physical appearance, food habits, social group ... Full text Cite

Comparison of the behaviour and ecology of red colobus and redtail monkeys in the Kibale Forest, Uganda

Journal Article African Journal of Ecology · January 1, 1980 The red colobus and redtail monkeys are the two most common primates in the Kibale Forest, yet they show pronounced differences in most aspects of their behaviour and ecology. The red colobus live in large multi‐male social groups with home ranges that com ... Full text Cite

A comparative study of the phytochemistry of two African Rain Forests

Journal Article Biochemical Systematics and Ecology · January 1, 1980 A comparative analysis of aspects of the secondary chemistry of plants from the Kibale Forest, Uganda, and the Douala-Edea Forest Reserve, Cameroon (93 species in all) has shown mean concentrations of tannins and other phenolics to be significantly greater ... Full text Cite

Socioecology of Five Sympatric Monkey Species in the Kibale Forest, Uganda

Journal Article Advances in the Study of Behavior · January 1, 1979 This chapter discusses: (1) the major behavioral and sociological features of the five sympatric species, including red colobus, black and white colobus (bw), mangabey, blue monkey, and redtail monkey, (2) presents hypotheses relating their social organiza ... Full text Cite

Endangered primates.

Journal Article Science (New York, N.Y.) · September 1978 Full text Cite

Infanticide and social organization in the redtail monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti) in the Kibale Forest, Uganda.

Journal Article Zeitschrift fur Tierpsychologie · September 1977 The redtail monkeys of the Kibale Forest, W. Uganda, live in social groups of about 35 members with only one adult male. In one of the study groups the harem male was replaced by a new male from outside the group. This male-replacement was followed by the ... Full text Cite

Palm-Nut Smashing by Cebus a. apella in Colombia

Journal Article Biotropica · June 1977 Full text Cite

The dim future of la macarena

Journal Article Oryx · January 1, 1976 One of Colombia's finest national parks, La Macarena, is being gradually encroached by settlers-the park area has been nearly halved since 1948, and there is no sign of an end to the process. The author, a research zoologist of the New York Zoological Soci ... Full text Cite

Two Cusimanse Mongooses Attack a Black Cobra

Journal Article Journal of Mammalogy · August 29, 1975 Full text Cite

Correlates of ranging behavior in a group of red colobus monkeys (Colobus badius tephrosceles)

Journal Article Integrative and Comparative Biology · December 1, 1974 Data are presented from 17 months of systematic sampling of the food habits, ranging patterns and distribution of food of a group of red colobus monkeys. No positive or negative correlations were found between the diversity of ranging patterns and the dive ... Full text Cite

A Recensus of Vervet Monkeys in the Masai‐Amboseli Game Reserve, Kenya

Journal Article Ecology · July 1973 Between 1964 and 1971 the population of vervet monkeys in the Amboseli Reserve, Kenya, has declined 33.3%. There were significantly fewer young juveniles (0.5—1.5 years) in 1971 than in 1963—1964. The same birth season was adhered to in 1971 as in ... Full text Cite

Rain-forest conservation in Africa

Journal Article Primates · March 1, 1972 Full text Cite

Polyspecific associations and niche separation of rain‐forest anthropoids in Cameroon, West Africa

Journal Article Journal of Zoology · January 1, 1972 A 19 month field study of rain‐forest anthropoids at Idenau and several other rain forests, and a similar 15 month study at Southern Bakundu were conducted in Cameroon, West Africa. The study areas and their primate fauna are described. Polyspecific associ ... Full text Cite

Evidence of tool-using by chimpanzees in the Ivory Coast.

Journal Article Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology · January 1971 Full text Cite

Social behaviour of mother and infant vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops)

Journal Article Animal Behaviour · January 1, 1971 Mother-infant relations in wild vervet monkeys (Cercoopithecus aethiops) and relations of mothers with other group members were studied in the Masai-Amboseli Game Reserve, Kenya. Vervet infants are more precocious than other cercopithecines in the followin ... Full text Cite

Notes on galagoides demldovii in cameroon

Journal Article Mammalia · January 1, 1970 Full text Cite

Correlates of ecology and social organization among African cercopithecines.

Journal Article Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology · January 1969 Full text Cite

Social Structure Among Vervet Monkeys (Cercopithecus Aethiops)

Journal Article Behaviour · January 1, 1968 The social structure of vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) is described on the basis of a one year field study in the Masai-Amboseli Game Reserve of south-central Kenya, East Africa. The major findings and conclusions are as follows: 1. They lived in ... Full text Cite

Ecology of Vervet Monkeys (Cercopithecus Aethiops) in The Masai‐Amboseli Game Reserve, Kenya

Journal Article Ecology · November 1967 Aspects of the ecology of vervet monkeys (Ceropithecus aethiops) are described on the basis of a 21 month field study in East Africa. Analysis of home range utilization demonstrated differences between 4 groups. The smallest group distributed its t ... Full text Cite

Behavior of vervet monkeys and other cercopithecines. New data show structural uniformities in the gestures of semiarboreal and terrestrial cercopithecines.

Journal Article Science (New York, N.Y.) · June 1967 A comparison of the communicative gestures of vervets with those of other cercopithecines reveals both similarities and differences. Examples have been given of gestures (i) exhibited by all cercopithecines, (ii) rare or absent in vervets and common in sev ... Full text Cite

Behavior of elk (Cervus canadensis) during the rut.

Journal Article Zeitschrift fur Tierpsychologie · April 1967 Full text Cite

Morphological factors regulating flight in bats

Journal Article Journal of Mammalogy · 1961 Cite