In the jungle - primate research in the Amazon

From November 2022 to the end of March 2023, the DPZ foyer was partially transformed into a jungle. The exhibition “In the Jungle” presented insights into the eventful history of primate research in the Amazon and showed findings from 40 years of DPZ field research in Peru.
 

Field research then and now
Hotspot of biodiversity, pharmacy and climate regulator: Amazonia is home to the largest contiguous rainforest area on earth, the potential of which has not yet been fully explored. While the fascination with the diversity of nature has remained the same, research has changed fundamentally: Between 1817 and 1820, the zoologist Johann Baptist von Spix traveled up the Amazon, where he collected countless animals and plants. Today, instead of killing and collecting them, animals are observed and studied using molecular genetic and hormone physiology methods.

In the middle of the rainforest
Not far from the area where Johann Baptist von Spix shot the first specimens of monkey species previously unknown to Europeans in 1819, the DPZ has maintained a field station for primate research, the “Estación Biológica Quebrada Blanco” (EBQB), since 1985. The first DPZ field study was carried out here and since then numerous other studies have been conducted on the primates native to the area. The exhibition “In the Jungle” tells the eventful history of primate research in the Amazon, provides insights into the sometimes arduous lives of the researchers and shows us the latest scientific findings about the secret lives of our South American primate relatives.

The exhibition
What is everyday life like for researchers at a field station in the middle of the rainforest? Why do jumping monkeys live in monogamous pair relationships? Why are tamarins important for forest regeneration and what do dung beetles have to do with it? Answers to these questions and many other topics awaited visitors to the exhibition. A total of 34 exhibits conveyed interesting facts about the small South American primates, from pictures, display boards and film installations to interactive exhibits, a large Amazon diorama and a “replica” of a camp hut. The accompanying events such as guided tours, a play, lecture and film evening also attracted numerous visitors to the institute. A total of around 750 guests visited the DPZ. The majority of guests (93%) rated the exhibition as a success.