A SURVEY OF THE DISTRIBUTION AND DENSITY OF THE PRIMATES OF GUYANA

In January through February 1994, we conducted the first broad-scale s urvey of Guyanese primates since 1975. Our goals were (I) to follow up questions raised in the earlier sun,ey, (2) to compare population den sities, and (3) to locate potential sites for future long-term researc h. We used distributional survey methods along trails and rivers and i nterviewed local inhabitants in each region. We surveyed five general areas, two of which had been studied in 1975. The distribution reporte d in 1975 for five monkey species-Alouatta seniculus, Cebus olivaceus, Pithecia pithecia, Chiropotes satanas and Saimiri sciureus-was confir med. However; questions were raised concerning the western extent of t he range of three species: Ateles paniscus, Cebus apella, and Saguinus midas. In comparing densities between 1994 and 1975, we found a signi ficant drop irt group densities over the past 20 years and a shift in relative proportions of individual primate species over time. For exam ple, although the total number of kilometers surveyed was identical, g roup densities were three times higher in 1975 than in 1994. Further g roup densities of Ateles, Alouatta, and Pithecia were much lower while those of Saguinus were similar in both years. These findings strongly suggest that habitat destruction and continued hunting pressure are a ffecting the primate populations.