Are woolly monkeys the long-lost cousins of woolly mammoths?
- Woolly monkeys are a genus of four species of monkey, native to South America’s rainforest habitats.
- The scientific name of a woolly monkey is Lagothrix and it is from the family Atelidae, a family of New World monkeys.
- The height of woolly monkeys is usually from 40 to 70 centimetres (16 to 28 inches) and they typically weigh betweeen 3 to 11 kilograms (6.6 to 24 pounds).
- Woolly monkeys have thick, furry hair, and it ranges from a combination of black, grey, brown or red-brown in colour, depending on the species.
- The diet of woolly monkeys consists primarily of fruit, but also flowers, insects, immature seeds, and leaves.
Woolly Monkey
Image courtesy of Liz Lister/Flickr
- Woolly monkeys live in trees in troops of 10 to 70 individuals; however will generally break off into small groups for tasks such as foraging.
- Female woolly monkeys typically have a single baby at a time, every second year, and the young becomes mostly independent at six months of age, and they can have a lifespan of up to 30 years.
- Generally, woolly monkeys remain among the treetops where they sleep and search for food, however, they do occasionally set foot on ground.
- The long tail of a woolly monkey is prehensile and very strong, having the ability to support its entire body weight as well as provide balance.
- Woolly monkeys are considered vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered, depending on the species, due to loss of habitat and hunting by humans for food, fur, and the pet industry.
Bibliography:
Common Woolly Monkey, n.d, Wildsreen Arkive, http://www.arkive.org/common-woolly-monkey/lagothrix-lagotricha/
Woolly Monkey, 2011, University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/woolly_monkey/taxon
Woolly Monkey, 2014, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolly_monkey
Woolly Monkey, 2016, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/woolly-monkey/
