The Peruvian night monkey (''Aotus miconax''), also known as the Andean night monkey, is a
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
New World monkey endemic to northern
Peru. Adults weigh around and measure up to in length. Its colour is grey to light brown with characteristic black and white markings on the face. The chest, belly and upper arms are orange tinged, however, to a lesser extent then ''
Aotus nigriceps
The black-headed night monkey (''Aotus nigriceps'') is a night monkey species from South America. It is found in Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. The ''A. nigriceps'' in Peru were notably inhabiting areas that were degraded, and often these areas were ...
''.
The species is one of the least known and possibly rarest
Neotropical primates. This species is listed as
vulnerable
Vulnerable may refer to:
General
* Vulnerability
* Vulnerability (computing)
* Vulnerable adult
* Vulnerable species
Music
Albums
* ''Vulnerable'' (Marvin Gaye album), 1997
* ''Vulnerable'' (Tricky album), 2003
* ''Vulnerable'' (The Used album) ...
by the
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
and endangered under Peruvian Law.
The Peruvian night monkey is also one of the least studied of all primates. The only data that exists about this species are museum specimens, sighting records and very basic ecological information. The species is thought to inhabit areas of
cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...
at above sea level in the departments of
Amazonas,
Huanuco and
San Martin, and in border regions of neighboring departments.
Behavior
The species is
monogamous
Monogamy ( ) is a form of Dyad (sociology), dyadic Intimate relationship, relationship in which an individual has only one Significant other, partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time (Monogamy#Serial monogamy, ...
and lives in small
family groups of 2 to 6 individuals similar to that of other ''
Aotus'' species. Hardly any data exists on the dietary requirements of ''A. miconax'', but it is known that it is generally
frugivorous but also consumes
leaf buds and
insects. This species has been observed in primary and secondary forest, from large areas of contiguous forest to small forest patches.
Threats and conservation
The main threat facing the Peruvian night monkey is the continued growth of human populations and associated habitat destruction. Hunting is a lesser threat to this species, but it is still hunted for the pet trade and by trophy hunters.
[Shanee, N., Shanee S., and Collongues, H. (2008). Local Primate Trade in Amazonas and San Martin, Peru. Poster presented at Primate Society of Great Britain winter meeting 2008.]
Neotropical Primate Conservation with funding from Primate Conservation Inc. is currently running a conservation based study on the species i
La Esperanza Amazonas. A network of community run reserves is intended to help conserving the species as well as the sympatric, Critically Endangered
yellow-tailed woolly monkey.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q490226
Peruvian night monkey
Mammals of Peru
Endemic fauna of Peru
Peruvian night monkey
Peruvian night monkey