Thomas Defler
Encyclopedia
Thomas R. Defler is a North American primatologist
who has lived and worked in Colombia
for many years. He earned his PhD
from the University of Colorado
at Denver in 1976 and then he moved to Colombia
. Defler worked in eastern Colombia
, in the Llanos
until 1984 and then in the Amazonian Vaupés Department
where he developed and lived in his research station, Estación Biológica Caparú until 1998 when he was obligated to flee from his research station by FARC guerrillas. He is the author of many papers about primates and of the books Primates de Colombia (2003), Primates of Colombia (2004) and Historia Natural de los Primates Colombianos (2010) . Currently he heads another Amazonian research station that he has developed in the southern Colombian Amazon, Estación Ecológica Omé , that is affiliated with the National University of Colombia
and he teaches at the Bogotá
campus of the same university. He and the Colombian biologist Marta Bueno are credited with first describing Hernández-Camacho's Night Monkey
(Aotus jorgehernandezi) in 2007 and together with Javier Garcia they described the new species (Callicebus caquetensis)`Caquetá Tití
. Using karyotypes Defler has done work clarifying the taxonomy of various species of night monkey
(Aotus
). He has done field studies in the Colombian llanos
and the Colombian Amazon
on the White-fronted Capuchin
(Cebus albifrons), the Brown Woolly Monkey
(Lagothrix lagothricha), the Black-headed Uakari
(Cacajao melanocephalus), the Black Titi
(Callicebus lugens), the Lucifer Titi
(Callicebus lucifer), and the Venezuelan Red Howler
(Alouatta seniculus) and has accomplished many primate censuses in different parts of eastern Colombia.
Primatology
Primatology is the scientific study of primates. It is a diverse discipline and researchers can be found in academic departments of anatomy, anthropology, biology, medicine, psychology, veterinary sciences and zoology, as well as in animal sanctuaries, biomedical research facilities, museums and zoos...
who has lived and worked in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
for many years. He earned his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of Colorado
University of Colorado Denver
The University of Colorado Denver, shortened as CU Denver, UC Denver, or UCD, is a public university in the United States state of Colorado. It is one of three schools of the University of Colorado system. The university has two campuses — one in downtown Denver at the Auraria Campus, and the other...
at Denver in 1976 and then he moved to Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. Defler worked in eastern Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, in the Llanos
Llanos
The Llanos is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the Flooded grasslands and savannas Biome....
until 1984 and then in the Amazonian Vaupés Department
Vaupés Department
Vaupés is a department of Colombia in the jungle covered Amazonas Region. It is located in the southeast part of the country, bordering Brazil to the east, the department of Amazonas to the south, Caquetá and Guaviare, and Guainía to the north covering a total area of 54,135 km²...
where he developed and lived in his research station, Estación Biológica Caparú until 1998 when he was obligated to flee from his research station by FARC guerrillas. He is the author of many papers about primates and of the books Primates de Colombia (2003), Primates of Colombia (2004) and Historia Natural de los Primates Colombianos (2010) . Currently he heads another Amazonian research station that he has developed in the southern Colombian Amazon, Estación Ecológica Omé , that is affiliated with the National University of Colombia
National University of Colombia
The Universidad Nacional de Colombia , also called UNAL or just UN, is a public, national, coeducational, research university, located primarily in Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales and Palmira, Colombia...
and he teaches at the Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
campus of the same university. He and the Colombian biologist Marta Bueno are credited with first describing Hernández-Camacho's Night Monkey
Hernández-Camacho's Night Monkey
The Hernández-Camacho's night monkey is a species of night monkey of the family Aotidae. It was first described in 2007 by Thomas Defler and Marta Bueno. It has a gray neck and a white patch over each eye, separated by a black band. The fur on the chest, belly, lower arms and lower wrists is...
(Aotus jorgehernandezi) in 2007 and together with Javier Garcia they described the new species (Callicebus caquetensis)`Caquetá Tití
Caquetá Titi
The Caquetá titi , also known as the Red-Bearded Titi or the Bushy-Bearded Titi, is a species of titi monkey endemic to Colombia found in the Department of Caquetá region. Taxonomically, it is a member of the Callicebus cupreus group, following Shunsuke Kobayashi's Callicebus grouping...
. Using karyotypes Defler has done work clarifying the taxonomy of various species of night monkey
Night monkey
The night monkeys, also known as the owl monkeys or douroucoulis, are the members of the genus Aotus of New World monkeys . They are widely distributed in the forests of Central and South America, from Panama south to Paraguay and northern Argentina...
(Aotus
Night monkey
The night monkeys, also known as the owl monkeys or douroucoulis, are the members of the genus Aotus of New World monkeys . They are widely distributed in the forests of Central and South America, from Panama south to Paraguay and northern Argentina...
). He has done field studies in the Colombian llanos
Llanos
The Llanos is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the Flooded grasslands and savannas Biome....
and the Colombian Amazon
Amazon Region of Colombia
The Amazonía Region is a region in southern Colombia. It comprises the departments of Amazonas, Caquetá, Guainía, Guaviare, Putumayo and Vaupés, and covers an area of 403,000 km², 35% of Colombia's total territory...
on the White-fronted Capuchin
White-fronted Capuchin
The white-fronted capuchin, Cebus albifrons, is a species of capuchin monkey, a type of New World primate, found in seven different countries in South America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago...
(Cebus albifrons), the Brown Woolly Monkey
Brown Woolly Monkey
The brown woolly monkey or common woolly monkey or Humboldt's Woolly Monkey is a woolly monkey from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. It lives in groups of 2 to 70 individuals, usually splitting the group into smaller subgroups while in activity.Many published sources give the systematic name as L...
(Lagothrix lagothricha), the Black-headed Uakari
Black-headed Uakari
The black-headed uakari , also known as the golden-backed black uakari, is a New World primate from the family Pitheciidae...
(Cacajao melanocephalus), the Black Titi
Black Titi
The black titi, Callicebus lugens, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela....
(Callicebus lugens), the Lucifer Titi
Lucifer Titi
The Lucifer titi, Callicebus lucifer, is a species of titi, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru....
(Callicebus lucifer), and the Venezuelan Red Howler
Venezuelan Red Howler
The Venezuelan red howler is a South American species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey. It is found in the western Amazon Basin in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil...
(Alouatta seniculus) and has accomplished many primate censuses in different parts of eastern Colombia.