Reproduction of the owl monkey (Aotus spp.) in captivity

The reproduction performance of captive owl monkeys, a breed used extensively in biomedical research, was observed at the Battelle Primate Facility (BPF). The colony grew through captive breeding, imports from the Peruvian Primatological Project, and others to a peak size of 730. It included seven karyotypes of Aotus sp. Results showed that owl monkeys can breed successfully in a laboratory in numbers sufficient to sustain modest research programs. Reproductive success increases when pairs are compatible, of the same karyotype, and stabilized; however, mated pairs of different karyotype are also productive. Under conditions of controlled lighting and heating, owl monkeys at BPF showed no birth peak nor birth season.