Luke F. Quarles

My path to my current work began with backyard animal watching and led to a B.S. in Animal Behavior, Ecology & Conservation and a B.A. in Psychology from Canisius University. As an undergrad, I coded and analyzed chimpanzee cooperation experiments and co-authored papers in PNAS and Animal Cognition. After graduation and some exploration into potential fields of interests, I spent eight months in South Africa assisting the Inkawu Vervet Project with fieldwork focused on vocal communication, cognition, and social transmission in vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), which pivoted me fully toward conservation.

During an MSc in Primate Conservation at Oxford Brookes, where I was advised by Dr. Anna Nekaris, I studied the cryptic, nocturnal, and Endangered Bengal slow lorises (Nycticebus bengalensis) of Thailand, integrating local ecological knowledge and ecological monitoring to attempt to inform and improve rescue, rehabilitation, and release in human-dominated landscapes.

Currently, I am a PhD student at the University at Buffalo, supervised by Dr. Stephanie Poindexter and co-advised by Dr. Wendy Erb of the Yang Center. I work primarily at the Sakaerat Slow Loris Project in NE Thailand, with complementary work at the Endangered Primate Rescue Center in Vietnam, characterizing the vocal repertoire of Bengal slow lorises and the functions of their calls. I utilize passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) technology and attended ultrasonic recorders to uncover the diversity of their vocalizations, paying special attention to whether they are producing purely ultrasonic calls- something unknown for this species. Once I have a more robust catalogue of calls, I aim to perform surveys and density estimates for wild populations by utilizing PAM and AI technologies.

Beyond my work with primates, I enjoy learning and practicing a broad range of field skills by assisting the PA Game Commission with black bear population surveys; and, around Buffalo, I help with DEC fish seining and Purple Martin counts, and I volunteer for survey work with imperiled Eastern Hellbenders.