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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Measuring physical traits of primates remotely: The use of parallel lasers
American Journal of Primatology, Volume 70, No. 12, Year 2008
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Description
Physical traits, such as body size, and processes like growth can be used as indices of primate health and can add to our understanding of life history and behavior. Accurately measuring physical traits in the wild can be challenging because capture is difficult, disrupts animals, and may cause injury. To measure physical traits of arboreal primates remotely, we adapted a parallel laser technique that has been used with terrestrial and marine mammals. Two parallel lasers separated by a known distance (4 cm) and mounted onto a digital camera are projected onto an animal. When a photograph is taken, the laser projections on the target provide a scale bar. We validated the technique for measuring the physical traits of identifiable red colobus monkeys (Procolobus rufomitratus) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. First, we photographed the tails of monkeys with laser projections and compared these with measurements previously obtained when the animals were captured. Second, we manually measured the distance between two markers placed on tree branches at similar heights to those used by monkeys, and compared them with the measurements obtained through digital photographs of the markers with parallel laser projections. The mean tail length of the monkeys via manual measurements was 63.3±4.4 cm, and via remote measurements was 63.0±4.1 cm. The mean distance between the markers on tree branches via manual measurements was 13.8±3.59 cm, and via remote measurements was 13.9±3.58 cm. The mean error using parallel lasers was 1.7% in both cases. Although the needed precision will depend on the question asked, our results suggest that sufficiently precise measurements of physical traits or substrates of arboreal primates can be obtained remotely using parallel lasers. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Authors & Co-Authors
Rothman, Jessica M.
Canada, Sainte-anne-de-bellevue
Mcgill University, Macdonald Campus
Canada, Montreal
Université Mcgill
Chapman, Colin A.
Canada, Sainte-anne-de-bellevue
Mcgill University, Macdonald Campus
Canada, Montreal
Université Mcgill
United States, New York
Wildlife Conservation Society
Twinomugisha, Dennis
Uganda, Kampala
Makerere University
Wasserman, Michael D.
United States, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
Lambert, Joanna E.
United States, Madison
University of Wisconsin-madison
Goldberg, Tony L.
United States, Urbana
University of Illinois Urbana-champaign
Statistics
Citations: 90
Authors: 6
Affiliations: 7
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1002/ajp.20611
ISSN:
02752565
e-ISSN:
10982345
Research Areas
Violence And Injury
Study Locations
Uganda