Ramnagar (Nepal)

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Carola & Andreas — Primate Behavioral Ecology

The study of Hanuman or common langurs (Semnopithecus entellus) at Ramnagar was initiated in 1990 by the late Christian Vogel, Paul Winkler, and Carola Borries (Institute of Anthropology, University of Goettingen). Altogether 22 observers including 9 MSc/ PhD students, 6 local assistants, plus volunteer assistants were involved. Observations ended in the summer of 1997. We both served as field directors and on-site advisors for students and are maintaining the data base of behavioral and ecological data.

Distribution of Hanuman langurs (gray area) and location of study site

Some members of P-troop

© C. Borries

The goal of the study was to establish a long-term, detailed behavioral study of an unprovisioned population. Scientifically the study aimed amongst others at investigating the causes and consequences of 1-male and multimale groups and of the competitive regime of females. The site was located in a semi-evergreen forest dominated by Sal trees (Shorea robusta) at 27°44’ N, 84°27′ E (300 m above sea level). Fieldwork was carried out in an area of ca. 12 sqkm on 18 different bisexual groups. Most of the work was concentrated on three main study groups. The data base consists of more than 500 individual-months of focal observation, ranging of 3 groups over several years, more than 5 years of census data, a botanical and phenological database, weather data and so on. The data analysis and publication is ongoing, some selected articles are listed below.

Web Page: © Andreas Koenig | Contact: Andreas Koenig or Carola Borries | Last Update: May, 2008

Selected Publications from the project at Ramnagar

Borries C (1997) Infanticide in seasonally breeding multimale groups of Hanuman langurs (Presbytis entellus) in Ramnagar (South Nepal). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 41:139-150

Borries C (2000) Male dispersal and mating season influxes in Hanuman langurs living in multimale groups. In: Kappeler PM (ed) Primate Males - Causes and Consequences of Variation in Group Composition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 146-158

Borries C, Koenig A (2000) Infanticide in hanuman langurs: Social organization, male migration, and weaning age. In: van Schaik CP, Janson CH (eds) Infanticide by males and its implications. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 99-122

Borries C, Koenig A, Winkler P (2001) Variation of life history traits and mating patterns in female langur monkeys (Semnopithecus entellus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 50:391-402

Borries C, Launhardt K, Epplen C, Epplen JT, Winkler P (1999) Males as infant protectors in Hanuman langurs (Presbytis entellus) living in multimale groups - defence pattern, paternity and sexual behaviour. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 46:350-356

Borries C, Launhardt K, Epplen C, Epplen JT, Winkler P (1999) DNA analyses support the hypothesis that infanticide is adaptive in langur monkeys. Proc Roy Soc Lond B 266:901-904

Heistermann M, Ziegler T, van Schaik CP, Launhardt K, Winkler P, Hodges JK (2001) Loss of oestrus, concealed ovulation and paternity confusion in free-ranging Hanuman langurs. Proc Roy Soc Lond B 268:2445-2451.

Koenig A (2000) Competitive regimes in forest-dwelling Hanuman langur females (Semnopithecus entellus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 48:93-109

Koenig A, Beise J, Chalise MK, Ganzhorn J (1998) When females should contest for food – Testing hypotheses about resource density, distribution, size, and quality with Hanuman langurs (Presbytis entellus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 42:225-237

Koenig A, Borries C (2001) Socioecology of Hanuman langurs – the story of their success. Evol Anthropol 10:122-137

Koenig A, Borries C (2006) The predictive power of socio-ecological models: a reconsideration of resource characteristics, agonism, and dominance hierarchies. In: Hohmann G, Robbins MM, Boesch C (eds) Feeding ecology in apes and other primates. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 263-284

Koenig A, Borries C, Chalise MK, Winkler P (1997) Ecology, nutrition and timing of reproductive events in an Asian primate, the Hanuman langur (Presbytis entellus). J Zool (Lond) 243:215-235

Launhardt K, Borries C, Hardt C, Epplen JT, Winkler P (2001) Paternity analysis of alternative male reproductive routes among the langurs (Semnopithecus entellus) of Ramnagar. Anim Behav 61: 53-64

Ostner J, Borries C, Schülke O, Koenig A (2005) Sex allocation in a colobine monkey. Ethology 111:924-939

Wesche K (1997) A classification of a Shorea robusta stand in southern Nepal. Phytocoenologia 27:103-118.

Ziegler T, Hodges JK, Winkler P, Heistermann M (2000) Hormonal correlates of reproductive seasonality in wild female Hanuman langurs (Presbytis entellus). Am J Primatol 51:119-134.