EARTHQUEST (Canada) for the Environment
Maderas Rainforest Conservancy

Field biology projects, learn how to be a field primatologist, Biology, research and conservation, Field training and employment opportunities

Primate Behaviour and Ecology Field Course
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AFBSST Course & field session
to La Suerte Biological Field Stations in Costa Rica to study ecology and behaviour of free-ranging primates

EARTHQUEST (Canada) continues to work with the Maderas Rainforest Conservancy (MRC) to journey to Costa Rica and learn how to study free-ranging primate species. We will only be offering three field courses to Costa Rica in 2016 & 2017. Our mission will be to provide an introductory online/correspondence course followed by travel to the La Suerte Biological Field Station located in Costa Rica and work in a field camp to study the ecology and behaviour of free-ranging primate species that live there. The second course is designed to be a field course which explores the interfaces between primate behavior and biology. The field site will serve as a living laboratory where students experience New World monkeys, their biology and behavior, in their native habitats. The course is comprised of daily lectures and daily field exercises on aspects of primate ecology, biology, behavior, and the rainforest environment. Howler monkeys and possibly capuchins will be observed on a daily basis in forest environments surrounding the field station. All students will develop research proposals which will be done on site during the latter half of the course.

This course is designed to be an extensive look at how primates adapt to their ecosystems both by physical characteristics and by various means of behavior. This course will also give students experience and training doing primate ethology in the field. We have the unique ability in this course to experience the ecosystem these animals live in. Through this, was can better understand both the structural and behavioral adaptations made by the primates we study. We will learn rain forest ecology and see how the ecosystem is delicately balanced with each species carving out a special niche. In this course, we will be covering the basic tenants of primatology in lectures and combining this with field research. Students will learn field research techniques as they relate to studying primates in the wild. Students will also create their own research projects which they will complete by the end of class.

You can live the life of a Tropical Field Biologist/Primatologist
and study two Neotropical monkey species.

..........Learn how to conduct primate field studies
..........See tropical birds, mammals, insects and other creepy crawly things
..........Explore the rainforest
..........Document & identify primate species
..........Record significant or rare behaviour patterns of free-ranging primate species
..........Live & travel like pioneer Primatologists
..........Perform manual field work
..........Some of the research topics you will learn include;
i. Sexual selection and primate social structure
ii. Primate social organization
iii. Primate anatomy, morphology and positional behavior
iv. Dominance and kinship
v. Feeding ecology and foraging behavior

Dates:

Summer session 2; June 24 - July 17, 2019,
Summer session 3; July 19 - August 14, 2019,
Winter session 1; TBA for 2019

Costs: $2695.00 USD

Deadline to register: April 21, 2019


(Please note: Due to the nature of the program, all prices and program contents are subject to change without prior notice or approval). Participants may transfer credit to their home university or college

Included in Course Costs:
..........Services of project staff
..........Certificate of completion
..........room and board (3 meals per day) at La Suerte field station
..........instruction
..........SCHEDULED transportation from near the airport in Costa Rica to La Suerte round trip
..........Course tuition
..........FBSST Course tuition

Not Included in Course Costs:
..........Airport taxes and government departure taxes
..........Health or cancellation insurance
..........Beverages/liquor
..........Additional funds for souvenirs, extra food, etc.
..........Valid passport
..........Immunizations/vaccinations
..........Personal supplies (e.g. hiking boots, tents, clothing, etc.)
..........Round trip airfare to Costa Rica
..........Academic credit

For those who register before April 21, 2019 (incl. $25 discount price)

To Register for the Course: For course a non-refundable deposit of $295.00 US/person registration fee is required to secure space. Full payment is due 60 days prior to departure (postmarked by mail does not count). We recommend that you book early as spaces on teams fill quickly and are limited to 22 participants. Spaces are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis and fill quickly so we recommend that you apply ASAP. All tuition costs are NON-REFUNDABLE, but may be transferred to another year. Academic credit is available - please inquire for details. For information on terms and conditions please click here. For applications please click here.

(Photos by D. Jolly & MRC)
La Suerte Biological Field Station
Two toed sloth

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 E-mail: earthquestcanada@yahoo.com

Senior Biologist & Instructor
D. Jolly, B.Sc.
EARTHQUEST (Canada) for the Environment

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Website designed and maintained by D. Jolly
Last Updated 25/01/2019