Wendy M Erb, PhD
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Publications & Press

Selected Publications

  • Anirudh, NB, FJF van Veen, B Ripoll-Capilla, BJW Buckley, WM Erb, MA Niun, S Maimunah, KP Makur, Armadiyanto, E Estrada, NS Boyd, SM Cheyne, Santiano, N Namaskari, SJ Husson, DJI Seaman, NJ Deer, J Supriatna, MJ Struebig, ME Harrison. 2025. Lowland heath forests of Indonesian Borneo: ecological value and conservation challenges. Journal of Tropical Ecology. 41: e19.
  • Erb WM, LM Porter, R Voyt, L Hernani-Lineros, A Di Fiore. 2025. Variation in maternal effort, activity budgets, and feeding behavior in wild saddleback tamarins (Leontocebus weddelli) in northwestern Bolivia. American Journal of Primatology. 87(5): e70044
  • DePuy, W, P Thung, V Schreer, WM Erb. 2025. Navigating scale and interdisciplinary dynamics in conservation social science. Conservation Biology. 39: e70005. (Special issue on Trends and Future Directions in the Conservation Social Sciences)
  • Owens, AF*, K Hockings, MA Imron, S Madhusudhana, MA Niun, T Mitra Setia, M Sharma, SM Soebagio, FJF Van Veen, WM Erb. 2024. Automated detection of Bornean white-bearded gibbon vocalisations using an open-source framework for deep learning in bioacoustics. Journal for the Acoustical Society of America. 156: 1623–1632.
  • Erb, WM, W Ross*, H Kazanecki*, T Mitra Setia, S Madhusudhana, DJ Clink. 2024. Vocal complexity in the long calls of Bornean orangutans. PeerJ. 12, e17320.
  • Harrison ME, NJ Deere, MA Imron, D Nasir, Adul, HA Asti, J Aragay Soler, NC Boyd, SM Cheyne, SA Collins, LJ D’Arcy, WM Erb, H Green, W Healy, Hendri, B Holly,  PR Houlihan, SJ Husson, Iwan, KA Jeffers, IP Kulu, K Kusin, NC Marchant, HC Morrogh-Bernard,  SE Page, A Purwanto, B Ripoll Capilla, O Rodriguez de Rivera Ortega, Santiano, KL Spencer, J Sugardjito,  J Supriatna, SA Thornton, FJF van Veen, Yulintine, and MJ Struebig. 2024. Impacts of fire and prospects for recovery in a tropical peat forest ecosystem. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 121(17): e2307216121.
  • Erb, WM, EJ Barrow*, AN Hofner*, JL Lecorchick*, T Mitra-Setia, ER Vogel. 2023. Wildfire smoke linked to vocal changes in wild Bornean orangutans. iScience. 26 (7): 107088.
  • Erb, WM. 2023. To see how smoke affects endangered orangutans, we studied their voices during and after massive Indonesian wildfires. The Conversation.
  • Erb, WM, W DePuy. 2023. Hearing the forest through the trees: Sonic entanglements in Nusantara. Southeast Asia Program Bulletin. Spring 2023 Bulletin: 16-21.
  • Grueter, CC, WM Erb, LR Ulibarri, I Matsuda. 2022. Ecology and behaviour of odd-nosed colobines. In Matsuda, I, CC Grueter, JA Teichroeb (eds.) The Colobines: Natural History, Behaviour and Ecological Diversity, Cambridge University Press. pp. 156-185.
  • Erb, WM, LM Porter. 2020. Variable infant care contributions in cooperatively breeding groups of wild saddleback tamarins. American Journal of Primatology. 82: e23190.
  • Naumenko, DJ*, M Watford, WM Erb, SS Utami Atmoko, ER Vogel. 2020. Evaluating ketosis in primate field studies: validation of urine test strips in wild Bornean orangutans, Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii. Folia Primatologica. 91: 159–167.
  • Erb, WM, EJ Barrow*, AN Hofner*, SS Utami Atmoko, ER Vogel. 2018. Wildfire smoke impacts activity and energetics of wild Bornean orangutans. Scientific Reports. 8: 7606.
  • Erb, WM, LM Porter. 2017. Mother’s little helpers: What we know (and don't know) about cooperative infant care in callitrichines. Evolutionary Anthropology, 26 (1): 25-37.
  • Vogel, ER, SE Alavi, SS Utami Atmoko, MA van Noordwijk, TD Bransford, WM Erb, A Zulfa, F Sulistyo, WR Farida, JM Rothman. 2017. Nutritional ecology of wild Bornean orangutans in a peat swamp habitat: effects of age, sex, and season. American Journal of Primatology, 79 (4): e22618.
  • Erb, WM, T Ziegler, NS Lestari*, K Hammerschmidt. 2016. Are simakobu (Simias concolor) loud calls energetically costly signals? American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 161 (1): 44-52.
  • Erb, WM, JK Hodges, K Hammerschmidt. 2013. Individual, contextual and age-related acoustic variation in simakobu (Simias concolor) loud calls. PLOS ONE. 8 (12): e83131.
  • Erb, WM, C Borries, NS Lestari*, JK Hodges. 2012. Annual variation in ecology and reproduction of wild simakobu (Simias concolor). International Journal of Primatology. 33 (6): 1406-1419.
  • Erb, WM, C Borries, NS Lestari*, T Ziegler. 2012. Demography of simakobu (Simias concolor) and the impact of human disturbance. American Journal of Primatology. 74 (6): 580-590.
* student / trainee co-author​

​​Download Wendy's CV (updated September 2025)

Selected Media / News Appearances

  • My fieldwork experiences and research on wild orangutans in Borneo were highlighted in a collaborative immersive sound experience at the Museum of the Moving Image in NYC
  • My research on how smoke affects orangutan long calls was featured in National Geographic
  • My bioacoustics research and capacity building work in Indonesia were featured in the documentary film, "Empowering Bioacoustics Research in Southeast Asia"
  • I was interviewed on BBC World News, Quirks and Quirks podcast, and ABC' Sunday Extra radio show about our new research on vocal complexity in orangutans.
  • Our research on vocal complexity in orangutans was featured in Salon and Discover Magazine.
  • My 18-year research history on Indonesia's primates was featured in Mongabay Indonesia “Wendy Marie Erb: Dream of Understanding Animals Comes True in Indonesia” 
  • Our research on wildfire smoke was featured in The New York Times “How Megafires Are Remaking the World”
  • Our study on smoke-related vocal changes in orangutans was featured in Scientific American's 'Science Quickly' podcast “Just like People, Orangutans Get Smoker's Voice”
  • Our research on wildfire smoke was featured in Wired and Mother Jones “Wildfire smoke is terrible for you. But what does it do to cows?” 
  • Our research on wildfire smoke was featured in National Geographic “How does wildfire smoke affect wildlife? Here's what we know.”
  • Our research on wildfire smoke was featured on Wyoming Public Radio "Wildfires can still impact wildlife hundreds of miles away”
  • Our research on wildfire smoke was featured in Discover Magazine “What scientists know about wildfire smoke and its impact on wild animal health”  ​
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  • Home
  • Research
    • Kutai Orangutan Research Group
    • Publications & Press
    • Simakobu
  • Engagement
  • Our Team
    • Collaborators & Sponsors
    • Info for Students
  • Contact
  • News