Fran Kaser
I was the platforms field assistant working at the Capuchinos de Taboga fieldsite. I arrived at Taboga in August 2023 after working with rhesus macaques in Puerto Rico and howler monkeys in Costa Rica. I helped conduct cognition experiments on wild white-faced capuchins, collected behavioral data and biological samples, organized individual and group life history, […]
Monserrat Porras Cascante
I have a bachelor’s degree in Forestry Engineering and Wildlife Management at Universidad Tecnica Nacional. I´ve worked with the (Saimiri oerstedii) at the Osa Peninsula as a field assistant in restoration and environmental education. At Capuchinos de Taboga I am a field assistant, collecting urine samples for oxytocin tests, behavioral data, biological samples, also helping […]
Juan Carlos Ordoñez Jiménez
Costa Rican biologist graduated from the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, with emphasis on Sustainable Development and Ecology. Around 21 years of experience in observing wild white-faced monkeys (Cebus imitator). From July 2017 to the present, I work with the Taboga Capuchin Research Project (CAT), in the Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica, as the person […]
Fernando Pinto
I am an Electromechanical Engineer with a degree from the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica. I have more than 10 years’ experience in renewable energy, energy efficiency, electromechanical design, operations strategy development and project management. At the Capuchinos de Taboga field site, I am in charge of the local management of the project including budget, […]
Elena Morera Saborío
My name is Elena Morera Saborío, I studied at the Universidad Tecnica Nacional and obtained my bachelor’s degree in Forestry Engineering and Wildlife Management. I used to volunteer for SINAC and that’s how I learned about the project. In the Capuchinos de Taboga project, I am a field assistant where I collect behavioral data, monkey […]
Thore Bergman
I am a Professor of Psychology and EEB at the University of Michigan. I am interested in social behavior and social cognition from an evolutionary perspective. My research on social cognition in primates focuses on the cognitive abilities that underlie social behavior. Specifically, I look at how dominance and family relationships structure primate social groups […]
Jacinta Beehner
The overarching theme of my research has been to identify situations where male and female reproduction come into conflict with one another. When animals sexually reproduce, one sex generally invests more in the production and care of offspring than another. In mammalian species, this is typically the female, due to the high costs of gestation […]
Marcela Benítez
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Emory broadly interested in the evolution of primate social cognition, the mechanisms that influence social choices, and the context in which these decisions are adaptive. My work unpacks both proximate and ultimate mechanisms of social decision-making in primates, offering a promising avenue for understanding […]
Kids Day at Escuela de San Luis
back to field updates by Lorena Sinclair Four Taboga Field Assistants (Wil, Elena, Vasco and Lorena) visited “Escuela de San Luis” in Cañas to run an activities morning with the students. The school consisted of 60 extremely energetic students aged between 5 and 11, eager to learn about the world of capuchins. We made a […]
Fauna at Taboga: UTN Students Use Camera Traps to Investigate the Animals that Live in Taboga
back to field updates by Evan Farese Anyone who goes to the Taboga Forest Reserve knows that it’s a special place. Sure, for some people it may be difficult to see that while you are there (what with the mosquitoes, snakes, mysterious rashes, and the fact that you are always sweating), but once you leave, […]