Clara Scarry

I am a broadly trained biological anthropologist with a research focus on primate behavioral ecology, particularly among Neotropical primates. Much of my work has examined the connections between intergroup aggression, intragroup relationships and individual decision-making and behavioral strategies, as a means to understand the evolution of cooperation. Because it is collective by nature, cooperation during intergroup aggression is difficult to maintain. I have focused on untangling individual strategies underpinning successful collective action in this context among others primates and identifying the correlates of these behaviors for the individual (e.g., mating access, social bonds, and hormonal response) and emergent group-level properties (e.g., semi-exclusive home ranges). I have established a long-term research project studying intergroup aggression among tufted capuchin monkeys in the Parque Nacional Iguazú, Argentina, where I am a directing PI of the “Proyecto Caí”, and also collaborate on projects with spider monkeys and woolly monkeys in Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, Ecuador.

Research Expertise: Intergroup aggression and male cooperation Collective decision-making and group coordination Large-scale field experiments Primate ranging behavior and site fidelity