Woolly monkey

The woolly monkeys are the genus Lagothrix of New World monkeys, usually placed in the family Atelidae.

There are four species of woolly monkey. All originate from the rainforests of South America. They have a prehensile tail and live in relatively large social groups.

One species of woolly monkey, the Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey, has recently been placed in the genus Oreonax.

Anatomy

Woolly monkeys have coat colour variations extending from dark brown, red-brown, gray and olive. Their back sides are usually lighter in color than their under-belly side. They have black faces, and the palms of their hands are a deep pink color. Their tails are long and thick and a strong enough to support the animals' full body weight. The species has a prehensile tail which grips on tight to branches, which acts as a fifth limb, enabling the animal to forage while hanging on to a branch with its tail. Woolly monkeys weigh an average of 17 pounds, though males are substantially larger than females.

Habitat and social behaviour

Woolly monkeys are found throughout the northern countries of South America (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru). They usually reside in high elevation cloud forests, seasonally flooded rainforests and forests which situated within Colombia's eastern plains region, although their ideal habitat resides in humid and mature tropical forests.

The species lives in social groups ranging from 10 to 45 individuals. Foraging groups, however, tend to consist of 2 to 6 individuals which branch out from the main group, and this is probably intended to reduce food competition among individuals. Woolly monkeys have a diet which consists of fruit with an addition of leaves, seeds, flowers and invertebrates. Each group is governed and led by an Alpha male, and the social organization within a larger group is organized by age, sex, and the reproductive status of females. Reproduction in these groups is characterized by promiscuity, in other words one male (either the alpha or subordinate) will mate with more than one female, just as females will mate with more than one male. Shortly after the females reach maturity they leave their natal (birth) groups to avoid any occurrence of inbreeding, while males tend to remain in their natal groups.

Play sessions among individuals not only serves as a bonding process to rekindle relationships among individuals but is also a way the species establish a hierarchy or social pecking order as well as passive food sharing which is also considered a common routine in the species. Woolly monkeys have an elaborate system of vocalization, olfactory (communication by scent), visual and tactile (communication through touch). Communication can be used to coordinate group activities, indicate aggression, affection and marking and establishing territory.

Predation and preservation

Woolly monkeys are predated by a variety of species of eagle and cat species like the Jaguar. Its main predator however, is humans, who hunt the species both for nutrition and for the illegal pet trade. Habitat encroachment is also threatening the survival of the species and it is believed that all these factors are the cause of the species recent decline. Woolly monkeys are now considered highly endangered and captive individuals are bred to ensure the survival of the species as part of the International Breeding Program for Endangered Species( such as the European Breeding Program for Endangered Species, shortly known as 'EEP').

Species list

• Brown Woolly Monkey, Lagothrix lagotricha
• Gray Woolly Monkey, Lagothrix cana
  • Lagothrix cana cana
  • Lagothrix cana tschudii
• Colombian Woolly Monkey, Lagothrix lugens
• Silvery Woolly Monkey, Lagothrix poeppigii

References

External links

• Primate Info Net Lagothrix Factsheets
• [1]