Osteological data from harpy eagle's nests
Data files
Aug 09, 2025 version files 174.04 KB
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Osteological_material_dataset.txt
170.18 KB
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README.md
3.86 KB
Abstract
The goal of this study is to provide a taphonomic analysis of bone fragments found in harpy eagle nests in the Brazilian Amazonia, utilizing the largest sample collected to date. Harpy eagle kill samples were collected from nine nests between June 2016 and December 2020 in Mato Grosso, Brazil. We identified the specimens and calculated the number of identified specimens (NISP) and the minimum number of individuals (MNI). These metrics were used to estimate bone survivability and fragmentation. A total of 1661 specimens (NISP) were collected, representing at least 234 individuals (MNI). We identified at least nine species of primates, which represent 63.8% of the individuals in the kill sample. Harpy eagles preyed mostly on the medium-sized capuchin and bearded saki monkeys (28.2% of the MNI) and two-toed sloths (17.7% of the MNI). Four distinct patterns of bone survivability were found, one characterizing bird prey, another characterizing xenarthrans, a third typical of medium-sized monkeys, and a fourth common to woolly monkeys and porcupines. The large sample size analyzed in this study provides a unique opportunity to better understand harpy eagle behavior and prey selection in the wild. We conclude that harpy eagle predation leaves a unique signature on the prey that is specific to each taxon. The inter-taxon variations observed in the taphonomic signatures of harpy eagle kills should be taken into account when evaluating the potential influence of these raptors as accumulators of bone material in both paleontological and neontological assemblages.
This README file was generated on 2025-08-07 by Guilherme Garbino.
GENERAL INFORMATION
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Title of Dataset: Osteological data from harpy eagle's nests
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Author Information
A. Principal Investigator Contact Information
Name: Guilherme Siniciato Terra Garbino
Institution: Universidade Federal de Viçosa
Address: Viçosa, MG, Brazil
Email: guilherme.garbino@ufv.brB. Associate or Co-investigator Contact Information
Name: Everton Miranda
Institution: Tohoku University
Address: Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Email: miranda@tohoku.ac.jp -
Date of data collection (single date, range, approximate date): June 2016 - December 2020
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Geographic location of data collection: Mato Grosso State, Brazil
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Information about funding sources that supported the collection of the data: SouthWild.com Conservation Travel System, Rain-forest Biodiversity Group, Idea Wild, The Mamont Scholars Program of the Explorer's Club Exploration Fund, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Rufford Small Grants Foundation (18743-1, 23022-2, and 31091-B). National Funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (UIDP/50027/2020).
SHARING/ACCESS INFORMATION
- Licenses/restrictions placed on the data: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain
- Links to publications that cite or use the data:
Garbino, G. S. T., Semedo, Thiago B. F., & Miranda, E. B. P (2023). Taphonomy of harpy eagle predation on primates and other mammals. American Journal of Primatology.
- Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data: None
- Links/relationships to ancillary data sets: None
- Was data derived from another source? No
A. If yes, list source(s): NA - Recommended citation for this dataset:
Garbino, G. S. T., Semedo, Thiago B. F., & Miranda, E. B. P (2023). Data from: Taphonomy of harpy eagle predation on primates and other mammals. Dryad Digital Repository. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dbrv15f6m
DATA & FILE OVERVIEW
- File List:
A) Osteological_material_dataset.txt
- Relationship between files, if important: None
- Additional related data collected that was not included in the current data package: None
- Are there multiple versions of the dataset? No
A. If yes, name of file(s) that was updated: NA
i. Why was the file updated? NA
ii. When was the file updated? NA
DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: Osteological_material_dataset.txt
- Number of variables: 18
- Number of cases/rows: 1244
- Variable List:
- Bone_ID: catalogue number of individual bones fragments
- Context: name of the nest where bones were collected
- Day: day when specimen was collected
- Month: month when specimen was collected
- Year: year when specimen was collected
- Locality: locality (nest) where specimen was collected
- Lat: decimal latitude of the nest
- Long: decimal longitude of the nest
- Taxon: scientific name of the taxon the specimen refers to, to the lowest taxonomic level possible
- Element: osteological element represented by specimen (e.g., femur, dentary)
- Side_(left_right): side of the bone, when appliable (e.g., right humerus)
- Epiphyses: open (if juvenile) or closed (if adult)
- Fragment_count: number of fragments in the same specimen (e.g., 12 caudal vertebrae)
- NISP: number of individuals bone fragments in the specimen
- Taphonomy: comments on the preservation condition of the specimen
- Damage: site of damage in the specimen (e.g., anterior portion broken)
- Articulates_with_following_specimen: if the specimen was articulated with following specimen in line (yes/no)
- Greatest_length: greatest length of specimen, measured with caliper of ruler
- Missing data codes: N/A
- Specialized formats or other abbreviations used: None
We collected harpy eagle kill samples from nine nests between June 2016 and December 2020 (Table 1). The nests are located in the southern Amazonia of Mato Grosso state, Brazil, on the right and left banks of Rio Juruena, and between the Juruena and Teles Pires rivers (Figure 1). The climate in this region is classified as a “tropical wet climate” (Alvares et al., 2013). Annual rainfall averages 2350 mm, and annual ambient temperature averages 24.5 °C (Radam-Brasil, 1983).
Bone, hair, eggshell, and feathers were collected by EBPM and colleagues in the nests and on the ground below the nest tree. To access the nests, raptor-specific tree-climbing protocols were employed (Miranda et al., 2021; Pagel & Thorstrom, 2007; Rosenfield et al., 2007). Permits to work in the area were provided by the Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio), Brazilian Ministry of the Environment (SISBIO process No. 58533).
Every attempt was made to ensure that all bones produced by the nests were collected. The presence of small teeth, isolated vertebrae, and podials in our sample suggests that the sample reflects the kill accumulation from the nests. The following was noted for each osteological specimen: taxon, skeletal element, side, greatest length, age class, association with other elements, and damage.
- Garbino, Guilherme S. T.; Semedo, Thiago B. F.; Miranda, Everton B. P. (2023). Taphonomy of harpy eagle predation on primates and other mammals. American Journal of Primatology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23567