Preliminary observations into understanding the effects of urbanization on the black-and-gold howler monkeys ( Alouatta caraya ) in Pilar, Ñeembucú, Paraguay

Urbanization is one of the leading causes of habitat loss and fragmentation. In Latin America, urbanization rates have dramatically increased in past 50 years, often forcing wildlife into human dominated areas. It is still unknown how many species respond to such anthropogenic habitat changes, and in Paraguay, very little is known about how any of the wild species that are found in urbanized environments cope long-term with these novel environments. The black-and-gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) in the Ñeembucú department of southwest Paraguay is an ideal species to study the effects of urbanization due to the large population living within the city limits of Pilar, the largest city in the department. We examine self-directed (scratching) behavior as a proxy for stress levels, diet, social interactions, and body condition to comprehensively determine the effects of urbanization on A. caraya by comparing groups living in natural and urban habitats. Similar stress levels were found between urban and natural habitats. Diets only differed between study sites in the percentage of mature leaves consumed, despite the habitats being very different, yet this still resulted in a difference of body condition scores. Overall, our results indicate that A. caraya in Ñeembucú, Paraguay are highly adaptable to and able to live well in degraded and disturbed habitats, something that bodes well for their survival as humans continue to encroach on their wetland homes.