DOI: 10.5061/dryad.dbrv15f6m
title: Osteological data from harpy eagle's nests

description: 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.
description: 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.
description: This README file was generated on 2025-08-07 by Guilherme Garbino. GENERAL
 INFORMATION 1. Title of Dataset: Osteological data from harpy eagle's
 nests 2. 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.br](mailto:guilherme.garbino@ufv.br) B. Associate
 or Co-investigator Contact Information Name: Everton Miranda Institution:
 Tohoku University Address: Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Email:
 [miranda@tohoku.ac.jp](mailto:miranda@tohoku.ac.jp) 3. Date of data
 collection (single date, range, approximate date): June 2016 - December
 2020 4. Geographic location of data collection: Mato Grosso State, Brazil
 5. 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 1. Licenses/restrictions placed on the data: CC0 1.0 Universal
 (CC0 1.0) Public Domain 2. 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. 1. Links to other publicly accessible
 locations of the data: None 2. Links/relationships to ancillary data sets:
 None 3. Was data derived from another source? No A. If yes, list
 source(s): NA 4. 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](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dbrv15f6m) DATA & FILE OVERVIEW 1. File List: A) Osteological_material_dataset.txt 1. Relationship between files, if important: None 2. Additional related data collected that was not included in the current data package: None 3. 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 1. Number of variables: 18 2. Number of cases/rows: 1244 3. 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 4. Missing data codes: N/A 5. Specialized formats or other abbreviations used: None