Costa Rica - Monkey Madness and Rainforest

The research project in Costa Rica was incredible!  Professor Paul Garber led the research and course and was instrumental!  We had a 6.2 richter scale earthquake, I was peed on by a howler monkey, poked in the eye by a moving branch and was out of action for the day, was attacked by mosquitos the size of a quarter and had rice and beans 3 times a day!  But without these experiences I wouldn't have loved the rainforest as much as I did.  In terms of laterality in capuchin monkeys, they dragged us through streams, revines, dense fern forest, and swamps, but they did not show significant evidence for laterality.  However, the preliminary data I found suggested juveniles hung from their tails more, and had a propensity for using their left hand.  By contrast matures used their right hand more and did not hang from  branches as much.  Thus suggesting that the propensity to use the right hand may change over the lifetime of the individual.  It was so interesting to watch the capuchins in their natural habitat and the day before the earthquake there was a slight tremor (which I did not feel) they were going bananas, barking and jumping on the branches.  I thought there may have been a jaguar...... only to find out it was a tremor in preparation for the earthquake the next day!  They are described as destructive foragers and indeed, you can hear them when they are around.  They search in bromeliads, tear bark off with their teeth and hands and throw bark and termite nests at you.  In fact, one student had some faeces thrown at him!!  Apparently, the local women don't bathe in the river anymore as many of the male capuchins come down to watch them!  So how different are we really.........  not much!  And in terms of laterality I ask myself why they would be, overall, ambidextrous? Well, it makes sense as they are energy maximisers they need to find as much energy giving food as they can in the shortest space of time.  In so doing, by grabbing flying insects etc with two hands makes them more efficient.  I would love to undertake research over  a longer period of time and to understand the differing groups in various habitats....... maybe for my PhD in Bioanthropology!  I had the experience of a life time!