The common woolly monkey, brown woolly monkey, or Humboldt's woolly monkey
(''Lagothrix lagothricha'') is a
woolly monkey
The woolly monkeys are the genus ''Lagothrix'' of New World monkeys, usually placed in the family Atelidae.
Both species in this genus originate from the rainforests of South America. They have prehensile tails and live in relatively large soci ...
from
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
,
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
,
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
,
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
,
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, and
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
. It lives in groups of two to 70 individuals, usually splitting the group into smaller subgroups when active.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the common woolly monkey is still debated. Fooden classified it is as one of two species under the genus ''Lagothrix'' with four sub-species (''L. l. lagotricha'', ''L. l. lugens'', ''L. l. cana'', and ''L. l. poeppgigii''.
[ Later, an analysis of craniodental morphology suggested a move of all sub-species to the species level and also led to the ]yellow-tailed woolly monkey
The yellow-tailed woolly monkey (''Lagothrix flavicauda'') is a species of New World monkey endemic to Peru. This rare primate is found only in the Peruvian Andes, primarily within the departments of Amazonas and San Martín, as well as in adj ...
(formerly ''Lagothrix flavicauda'') being moved to a monotypic genus ''Oreonax''. Genetic analyses also identify distinct groups, but different groupings from morphological and molecular data continue to make this a difficult issue that might be addressed with larger data sets. A 2014 study found the genus ''Lagothrix'' to comprise only two species: ''L. lagothrica'' and ''L. flavicauda'', with ''L. lagothrica'' containing five subspecies; the results of this study have been followed by the American Society of Mammalogists The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to encourage the study of mammal
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence ...
and the IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...
.
Many published sources use the specific name ''lagothricha'' rather than the etymologically correct ''lagotricha'', since Fooden adopted this spelling when he revised the genus. Von Humboldt used both spellings in his original description of the species.
These five subspecies are known:
* Gray woolly monkey
The gray woolly monkey (''Lagothrix lagothricha cana'') or Geoffroy's woolly monkey is a subspecies of the common woolly monkey from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru. ''L. l. cana'' gets its common name, gray woolly monkey, ...
, ''L. l. cana''
* Brown woolly monkey
The common woolly monkey, brown woolly monkey, or Humboldt's woolly monkey (''Lagothrix lagothricha'') is a woolly monkey from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Venezuela. It lives in groups of two to 70 individuals, usually splitting ...
, ''L. l. lagothrica'' (type subspecies)
* Colombian woolly monkey
The Colombian woolly monkey (''Lagothrix lagothricha lugens'') is a critically endangered subspecies of the common woolly monkey from Colombia.
It was initially thought to be a subspecies of the common woolly monkey (''L. lagothricha''), but wa ...
, ''L. l. lugens''
* Silvery woolly monkey
The silvery woolly monkey (''Lagothrix lagothricha poeppigii''), also known as Poeppig's woolly monkey or the red woolly monkey, is a subspecies of the common woolly monkey from South America. Named after the German zoologist Eduard Friedrich Poe ...
, ''L. l. poeppigii''
* Peruvian woolly monkey, ''L. l. tschudii''
Description
Common woolly monkeys are large compared to most other tree-dwelling primates, with a head-body length of , a tail length of , and a weight of . Contrary to their name, they may also be a shade of grey or black as well as brown, and are darker on the head and underparts. The face is naked of any fur and is typically black. Most male woolly monkeys are larger than the females, also having larger canines. Common woolly monkeys are also diurnal.
Distribution and habitat
The common woolly monkey is present in the upper Amazon basin in South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
, ranging from the Rio Tapajos in Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, to eastern Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
, Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
and Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, with scattered populations north to Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
. They also used to be found in Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, however it is likely they have been extirpated by hunters.
Diet
Common woolly monkeys are omnivorous, but mainly frugivorous. Their diet consists primarily of fruits containing 1 or 2 large seeds and fruits that are lower in fat and higher in sugar and water. Although they prefer certain fruits such as fruits from the Fabaceae
Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,[International Code of Nomen ...](_blank)
(Legume), Moraceae
Moraceae is a family of flowering plants comprising about 48 genera and over 1100 species, and is commonly known as the mulberry or fig family. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however, their ...
(fig), Convolvulaceae
Convolvulaceae (), commonly called the bindweed, bindweeds or morning glory, morning glories, is a Family (biology), family of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species. These species are primarily herbaceous vines, but also include trees, sh ...
, and Sapotaceae
240px, '' Madhuca longifolia'' var. ''latifolia'' in Narsapur, Medak district, India
The Sapotaceae are a family of flowering plants belonging to the order (biology)">order Ericales">family (biology)">family of flowering plants belonging to th ...
families, which represent roughly 50% of consumption time, fruit abundance and production influence their diet more than preference. As such, during periods of scarcity, fruit consumption tends to decrease and leaf and insect consumption increases. Females with dependents tend to eat more leaves, most likely because the leaves contain more protein, which helps the female produce more milk, whereas juvenile woolly monkeys have been observed to eat more arthropods than other members of the group.
Foraging behavior
The common woolly monkey exhibits generalist and opportunistic foraging behavior, spending a large amount of time eating and moving in the pursuit of food, covering roughly 2 km per day. They tend to prefer fruit species with a clumped fruit distribution and fruits produced by large trees because these tend to produce a larger crop size and reduce the energy spent traveling between fruit patches. Females with offspring were observed to be more efficient foragers than juveniles and adult males. Inter-group competition during feeding times causes the juveniles to be displaced by the adult males and females with offspring resulting in an increase in feeding on arthropods and leaves.
Habitat and groups
They are found in the rainforest, usually in the canopy of the tallest trees, though they may also be found at shrub layer. In certain seasons it is also common for groups to enter flooded forests, due to a higher concentration of berries.
Social behavior
Inter-group interactions
Females drive the relationships that develop between opposite sexes within communities. They do not mingle with other females, whereas males will engage with either sex. Females are possessive of males and may harass others that try to interact with a male. Although they are dominant within their group, females are accepting to outsiders of both genders if there are no offspring-producing females present.
Movement and seed dispersal
Woolly monkeys have been observed using all four legs when walking/running and climbing, and efficiently making use of intermediate branches rather than just terminal branches when climbing. They act as more effective seed dispersers than the morphologically similar spider monkey
Spider monkeys are New World monkeys belonging to the genus ''Ateles'', part of the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil. The g ...
due to longer seed retention time in the digestive tract and the higher variety of seeds eaten. Another influence on seed dispersal rate may be that insects constitute part of their diet.
Conservation
The common woolly monkey is classified as a vulnerable species
A vulnerable species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened species, threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatened species, ...
by the IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...
.[ It occurs both inside and outside of areas that are protected by national park laws.]
Threats
Although the common woolly monkey has a much wider range compared to the other species in the genus ''Lagothrix'' (the yellow-tailed woolly monkey
The yellow-tailed woolly monkey (''Lagothrix flavicauda'') is a species of New World monkey endemic to Peru. This rare primate is found only in the Peruvian Andes, primarily within the departments of Amazonas and San Martín, as well as in adj ...
), it is regarded as vulnerable because of predicted future pressures.[ Human activity is the biggest threat for this species, particularly the building of new highways through parts of the Amazon and the attendant deforestation and increase in human activity. This leads to displacement and provides new access into the forests, creating the opportunity for more hunting to occur.] Hunting is mostly carried out by the indigenous communities of this region of the Amazon. Its large size makes the brown woolly monkey highly susceptible to being hunted by locals. Individuals may also be sold locally as pets.[ After the mothers are hunted, the babies can be sold for up to approximately $80 USD.] Declining populations of woolly monkeys may have wider ecosystem impacts due to their function as seed dispersers and their role as both predator and prey.
Conservation projects
Many South American national parks have specific laws that prevent both deforestation and the hunting of animals, whereas some do not forbid hunting. Parks and reserves that fully protect the brown woolly monkey include Sumaco-Napo Galeras National Park, Cayambe-Coca and Cofán-Bermejo Ecological Reserve and Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
The Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve () is the second largest reserve of the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP) of Ecuador which includes 59 state owned areas plus and additional dozen of privately owned areas. It is located in the Putumayo Ca ...
in Ecuador; Nevado de Huila, Puracé, Cueva de los Guacharos and Picachos Natural National Parks in Colombia; and Majuna-Kichwa and Yaguas Reserved Zone in Peru. Algodón Medio Putumayo and Bajo Putumayo-Yagua in Peru offer partial protection. It has been suggested that the local extirpation of the species in some parts of its former range in Brazil was caused by the lack of hunting laws enforced upon indigenous groups.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q838808
Woolly monkeys
Primates of Brazil
Mammals of Peru
Mammals of Ecuador
Mammals of Colombia
Mammals described in 1812
Taxa named by Alexander von Humboldt