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Two-toed sloths (genus Choloepus) are almost exclusively arboreal. However, they often descend to the ground in places known as mineral licks or “saladeros” and feed from soil, which presumably enhances their digestion of toxins and helps them obtain minerals not readily available in their diet. Mineral licks are risky areas which may increase their visitors’ vulnerability to predators. Here, we report a predation attempt on an adult Linnaeus two- toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) by an adult ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) at a mineral lick at the Tiputini Biodi- versity Station in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Predation events are rarely recorded in camera traps, and this particular predation event can be considered unusual, given that sloths usually come down to mineral licks during the night. Also, it is not clear how ocelots are able to capture sloths, and other arboreal animals and this record evidence that predation of arboreal vertebrates by ocelots may also take place in the ground. Finally, the anti-predatory behavior displayed by the two-toed sloth demonstrates that there are intrinsic risks for predators while attempting to capture prey. 

Abstract Conservation funding is currently limited; cost‐effective conservation solutions are essential. We suggest that the thousands of field stations worldwide can play key roles at the frontline of biodiversity conservation and have high intrinsic value. We assessed field stations’ conservation return on investment and explored the impact of COVID‐19. We surveyed leaders of field stations across tropical regions that host primate research; 157 field stations in 56 countries responded. Respondents reported improved habitat quality and reduced hunting rates at over 80% of field stations and lower operational costs per km²than protected areas, yet half of those surveyed have less funding now than in 2019. Spatial analyses support field station presence as reducing deforestation. These “earth observatories” provide a high return on investment; we advocate for increased support of field station programs and for governments to support their vital conservation efforts by investing accordingly. 

Abstract With their large body size and “slow” life histories, atelin primates are thought to follow a risk‐averse breeding strategy, similar to capital breeders, in which they accumulate energy reserves in anticipation of future reproductive events such as gestation and lactation. However, given the paucity of longitudinal data from wild populations, few studies to date have been able to compare the timing of reproductive events (e.g., copulations, conceptions, and births) in relation to shifting resource availability over multiple years. We examined the reproductive patterns of two atelin species—white‐bellied spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth) and lowland woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii)—in relation to habitat‐wide estimates of fruit availability at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station (TBS) in Amazonian Ecuador. Our sample included 4 years of data on births (N = 36) and copulations (N = 170) forLagothrix, 10 years of data on births (N = 35) and copulations (N = 74) forAteles, and 7 years of data on ripe fruit availability. Reproductive events were distinctly seasonal. For both species, births were concentrated between May and September, a time period in which ripe fruit was relatively scarce, while inferred conceptions occurred between September and January, when ripe fruit availability was increasing and maintained at high‐levels throughout the forest. Interannual variation in births was relatively stable, except for in 2016 when twice as many infants were born following a strong El Niño event that may have led to unusually high levels of fruit productivity during the 2015 breeding season. Although copulations were observed year‐round, an overwhelming majority (>90% forLagothrixand >80% forAteles) took place between August and February when females were most likely to conceive. Collectively, these data follow the reproductive patterns observed in other atelin primates, and, as proposed by others, suggest that atelins may follow a risk‐averse breeding strategy.