Howler monkeys in Belize suffered from more parasite infections as a direct result of hurricane damage to the forest where they live.
Biological anthropologists found that the monkeys caught the parasites in the wake of a category four hurricane from eating Ceprocia, a plant that blooms in forests after natural disasters.
The plant houses many parasite-hosting ants, which the monkeys accidentally consume along with the Ceprocia leaves.
The research highlights the dangerous effect that climate-related disasters can have on animals’ diets and behaviours, and therefore on the structures of ecosystems.
Read more at Australian National University