HOPE reportNumber:19-015 Ecology of proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) in Sabah, Malaysia Report:Matsuda Ikki Date:2007/07/18 - 2007/08/21 To make clear the ecology of proboscis monkeys, we have focused on studying one harem group since January 2005. Although we have been able to collect data to examine intra-group relations by focusing on one group, it is difficult to understand inter-group relations. Therefore, as a preliminary step, we identified other harem and all male groups inhabiting our research site. The boat surveys early in the morning and late in the afternoon were useful because most of these groups are not habituated to people. We found 12 harem and all male groups in our study site during the research period, and succeeded to identify 6 of the 12. As for the rest of the groups, we could not identify during this time, hence our local assistants continued observation. At the University Malaysia Sabah (UMS), we conducted DNA extraction from feces samples of our focal proboscis monkey group collected during the former research period. In future, we will analyze the paternity patterns in our focal group using these DNA samples to further understand its social structure. Under the guidance of researchers from UMS and Cardiff University, we succeeded to extract 31 DNA samples.
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