Anthony Di Fiore

Anthony F. Di Fiore is an primatologist who has been conducting field research in the Ecuadorian Amazon since 1991. The main subject of his research is the behavior and ecology of Atelines (woolly, spider and howler monkeys) and the evolution of pair-bonding and monogamy (titi and saki monkeys). He is a Centennial Commission Professor in the Department of Anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin. He also conducts genetic research, often collecting samples through noninvasive means.

Education Di Fiore graduated from Cornell University in 1990 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences (Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics). His graduate studies took place at the University of California at Davis under Dr. Peter Rodman. He completed his doctorate in 1997.

Since 1993, Di Fiore has been conducting field research in Yasuni National Park in Ecuador, first at the Proyecto Primates Research Area and currently at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station. Both sites are in primary rainforest and include a diverse primate community of 10 to 12 different species. Interested in behavior and ecology, much of Di Fiore's research has focused on the Atelines (especially Lagothrix lagotricha and Ateles belzebuth), a clade of primates that shares features with African great apes in that females migrate from the groups they are born into and males are closely related. Genetic research augments field work, providing greater detail about population structure. Camera traps are also used for data collection, especially near salt licks.

Di Fiore collaborates with numerous projects and researchers throughout the Americas.

Awards and honors

2022 Elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences 2021 Elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences 2016 Elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 2003-2004 Fulbright Scholar, Ecuador, Committee for International Exchange of Scholars