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Prosimians | Old World Monkeys | New World Monkeys | Lesser Apes | Great Apes New World Monkeys The Neotropical forests of Central and South America are home to five families of primates. These monkeys range in size from the tiny pygmy marmoset to the muriqui of Brazil. Distinguished from the old world monkeys of Africa and Asia, new world monkeys, also called platyrrhines, have nostrils which are wide, circular and far apart, are small- to medium-sized, have long tails (sometimes prehensile), do not have buttock pads, and do not have cheek pouches. Neotropical monkeys are taxonomically diverse and are typically grouped into two categories; the Callitrichidae, which include the marmosets and tamarins, and the cebide monkeys, which include the squirrel, capuchin, owl, titi, saki, uakari, howler, spider, wooly, and wooly spider monkeys. Marmosets and tamarins form the family Callitrichidae and are considerably smaller than their new world counterparts. Anatomical differences distinguish them from the larger Neotropical monkeys as well, including the presence of claws instead of nails on all digits except the big toe, a different dental makeup and a non-opposable thumb. Most species give birth to twins and live in groups of 4-20 individuals. Social structure varies from one male-one female to multimale-multifemale groups, with usually only one breeding adult female at a time. These monkeys inhabit a wide variety of forest including, secondary growth, lowland, semidecidous dry forest, gallery and mature forest. Groups are territorial and will defend their home range through a variety of calls, fur displays, scent marking and facial expressions. Mutual grooming plays a significant role in family bonding, however time spent grooming depends largely on food availability. The larger and more familiar cebid monkeys are a diverse group of animals. The four families include the only nocturnal monkey (genus: Aotus) and the only monkeys with prehensile tails (genus: Alouatta, Ateles, Lagothrix, Oreonax, Brachyteles). Prehensile tails play the role of an extra hand, allowing for additional grasping, touching and swinging. Most species are exclusively tree-dwelling, living in tropical and subtropical evergreen forests; These monkeys only occasionally descend to the ground in search of food and to travel between forest patches. Social structure is complex and varied between species, ranging from strict monogamy (titi monkeys) to large groups (squirrel monkeys). Specialized anatomy and ecology determine diet in most species, for example leaf eating howler monkeys have broad flat teeth and a large gut for digesting plant matter. Because of food competition between cebid monkeys, distinct ecological types have evolved. It is often rare to find more than one species of a genus in the same place. Neotropical primates are in danger of becoming extinct as the loss of habitat for agriculture, ranching, commercial logging and hydroelectric projects increases every year. Hunting for food or sale as pets, although not as intense as in Africa and Asia, is also increasing. The smaller Callitrichids are usually spared from hunting pressure for food because of their size but inhabit some of the most degraded forests on earth; For example, the lion tamarins of Brazil are among the most endangered new world monkeys. These magnificent creatures live only in the Atlantic Forest, an area that has been reduced to approximately 5% of its original extent. Added to the problem of massive habitat destruction, the live capture of Neotropical primates for both the pet trade and the biomedical research industry has drastically reduced populations of several species. 38 of the 119 species of new world monkeys are threatened, with 9 of those already considered critically endangered by the World Conservation Unions (IUCN) Primate Specialist Group. Marmosets and Tamarins Genus: Cebuella, Mico, Callithrix, Saguinus, Leontopithicus and Callimico Taxonomy: 41 species, 26 subspecies Distribution: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Costa Rica, Panama Size: Head-body length: 17.5-40cm Weight: 4.2-25oz 130-370mm head and body length; 150-420mm tail length Appearance: Coats of different species vary in color but are usually thick, soft, and silky, tails sometimes have rings of alternating colors, species often have distinguishing adornments, such as hair tufts, plumes around ears, mustaches, manes and crests, non-opposable thumb, claws on all digits except the big toe Habitat: Secondary growth, lowland, semidecidous dry forest, gallery and mature forest Diet: Omnivorous -- fruits, flowers, nectar, plant exudates (gums, saps, latex), insects, animal prey (frogs, snails, lizards, spiders) Locomotion: Active and agile, quick jerky movements, run quadrupedally, jump, leap Behavior: Live in groups of 4-20 individuals, most produce twins, diurnal, territorial, engage in grooming Cebid Monkeys Squirrel Monkeys Genus: Saimiri Taxonomy: 5 species, 7 subspecies Distribution: Costa Rica, Panama, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Colombia, Ecuador Size: Head-body length: 260-360mm Weight: 750-1100 grams Appearance: Tail has a slight tuft of hair at the tip and is not prehensile, coats are soft, short, thick and brightly colored, nostril and lip area of the face is black and nearly naked, area around the eyes, ears, throat and side of the neck are white, top of the head is gray to black, ears are relatively large, external and are shaped similar to humans', short well-developed thumb Habitat: Moist to wet, disturbed to mature upland, river edge and mangrove forest Diet: Fruits, berries, nuts, flowers, buds, seeds, leaves, gums, insects, arachnids and small vertebrates Locomotion: Quadrupedal leaping, walking and running Behavior: Form large multimale-mulitfemale groups, up to 550 individuals, diurnal, arboreal, vocal, active Night Monkeys Genus: Aotus Taxonomy: 8 species, 5 subspecies Distribution: Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay Size: Head and body length: 240-370 mm Weight: .6-1.0kg Appearance: Large eyes, coats vary but are usually some form of gray with pale under parts, distinct black and white markings above the eyes look like three dark brown or black stripes, two groups based on the color around their neck: primitive gray neck group and derived red-neck group Habitat: Primary and secondary rain forest, dry forest, montane forest from sea level to elevations of 3200m Diet: Fruit, leaves, buds, flowers, sap, nuts, insects, small animals Locomotion: Quadrupedal walking and leaping Behavior: Nocturnal, monogamous, small family groups, territorial, urine-wash and scent mark, vocalizations like owl hoots, sleep in vines and tree hollows Howler Monkeys Genus: Alouatta Taxonomy: 8 species, 12 subspecies Distribution: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago, Argentina, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, possibly Uruguay, Belize Size: Head and body length: 559-915mm Weight: 4-10kg Appearance: Coats usually yellowish brown, reddish brown, or black with a coarse texture and are sometimes long around the shoulders and head; tails prehensile, area under chin enlarged to house the “hyoid’ -- a bone that helps produce vocalizations Habitat: Primary forest, secondary forest, terra firma forest, flooded forest, riparian forest, dry forest, deciduous forest, broadleaf forest, semiarid caatinga, mangrove swamp, evergreen rain forest, cloud forest, lowland forest, gallery forest, savanna, and woodlands Diet: Leaves, fruit, flowers, buds Locomotion: Quadrupedal walking, leaping, climbing, suspensory feeding Behavior: Diurnal, arboreal, variable social structure, loud vocalizations, strong male competition Spider Monkeys Genus: Ateles Taxonomy: 6 species, 10 subspecies Distribution: Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, French Guyana, Guyana, Suriname, Colombia, Venezuela Size: Head and body length: 382-635mm Weight: 13-23lbs Appearance: Long, shaggy, and typically stringy and coarse fur, coat color gray, reddish brown, dark brown, and black, under parts normally lighter in color, tails flexible, prehensile, and long in comparison to their bodies, arms and legs relatively long often giving them a pot-bellied lanky appearance, thumb absent or not developed, females have elongated clitoris often mistaken as a penis Habitat: Tropical rain forest, riverine, marsh, semideciduous forest, lowland forest, lower montane forest, primary terra firma forest, pina swamp Diet: Primarily fruit, also figs, leaves, flowers, bark, insects, seeds, small animals Locomotion: Braciation, climbing, suspensory, leaping, bipedal walking on branches, quadrepedal walking and running Behavior: Diurnal, arboreal, split into small groups for foraging and reform a large group when food is available (fission-fusion), variety of vocalizations, scent mark, some are territorial, some aggressively display Titi Monkeys Genus: Callicebus Taxonomy: 28 species, 0 subspecies Distribution: Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela Size: Head and body length: 240-610mm Weight: 510-2000g Appearance: Coats vary in color and are thick and bushy, sometimes have contrasting facial and tail markings Habitat: Tropical rain forest, riverine forest, flooded forest, moist forest, primary lowland rain forest, swampland, gallery forest, montane forests, coastal forest, banana forest, secondary terra firma forests Diet: Fruits, insects, eggs, seeds, leaves, flowers, small vertebrates Locomotion: Quadrupedal walking and running, some vertical clinging and leaping Behavior: Social groups of 2 to 7 individuals from the same family, group usually consists of a monogamous strongly bonded breeding pair and their offspring; the "father" decides the family's movements, looks for food and often carries the infants, strengthen social bonds with other individuals by grooming each other and sitting side by side with tails intertwined, diurnal, arboreal, scent mark, vocalizations sound like birds, male and female duet, some are territorial Saki Monkeys Genus: Pithecia, Chiropotes Taxonomy: 7 species, 6 subspecies Distribution: Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia Size: Head and body length: 300-705mm Weight: 1000-4000kg Appearance: Coats long, thick, shaggy and coarse, hair on head grows from the nape forward, making them look as if they are wearing a hood or a cap, hair on the tail is bushy and thick Habitat: Primary lowland forest, riverine forest, white-water flooded forest, terra firma forest, coastal forest, savanna, palm forest, gallery forest Diet: Seeds, fruits, leaves, flowers, honey, insects, small animals Locomotion: Quadrupedal running, walking, climbing; leaping; bipedal hopping Behavior: Arboreal, diurnal, quite, cryptic, varied social structure ranging from uncohesive groups with overlapping home ranges to monogamous family groups to multimale-multifemale groups Uakaris Genus: Cacajao Taxonomy: 2 species, 4 subspecies Distribution: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela Size: Head and body length 300-570mm Weight: 2.7-3.7kg Appearance: Short tails, hair is long and shaggy, coat color varies from white to red to black depending on species Habitat: Black-water swamp forest, terra firma forest, mountain slopes, white-water flooded forest Diet: Fruits, seeds, leaves, insects, small animals Locomotion: Quadrupedal walking and running, galloping; leaping; occasional swinging Behavior: Diurnal, arboreal, multimale-mulitfemale groups or one male-multifemale groups, group size ranges from 5-30 individuals, communication includes vocalizations and facial expressions Capuchins Genus: Cebus Taxonomy: 7 species, 26 subspecies Distribution: Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Ecuador, Trinidad, Tobago, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama Size: Head and body length: 305-565mm Weight: 1100-4300g Appearance: Tail semi-prehensile and coiled at the tip, sometimes referred to as "ring tail monkeys", fully developed thumb, males are generally larger than females, coat color is extremely varied Habitat: Primary deciduous forest, gallery forest, mangrove forest, flooded forest, secondary rain forest, lowland forest, montane forest Diet: Fruits, leaves, insects, nuts, berries, seeds, flowers gums, eggs, crabs, oysters, small vertebrates Locomotion: Quadrupedal walking, running and jumping Behavior: Diurnal, arboreal, multimale-multifemale groups, scent mark, vocalize and display for communication, group size varies from 8-33 individuals, have been seen to utilize tools to get to food Woolly monkeys Genus: Lagothrix, Oreonax Taxonomy: 5 species, 1 subspecies Distribution: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela Size: 508-686 mm head and body length; 600-720 mm tail length Appearance: Fur short, plush, and woolly, coat mahogany, black, brown, or gray, rounded head with well-defined brow, flat face, and snubbed nose, thumb not opposable, short, stocky fingers with long pointy nails, powerful, prehensile tails Habitat: Humid forest, primary forest, flooded forest, non-flooded forest, montane cloud forest Diet: Fruit, leaves, seeds, insects, flowers, buds, roots, gums Locomotion: Quadrupedal climbing, suspensory Behavior: Diurnal, arboreal, multimale-multifemale groups, communicate through vocalizations and facial expressions Muriquis or Woolly Spider monkeys Genus: Brachyteles Taxonomy: 2 species, 0 subspecies Distribution: Brazil Size: Head and body length: 460-630mm Weight: 12-15kg Appearance: Share characteristics with both woolly and spider monkeys, plush, short fur and large rounded head, coats typically brown-gray and sometimes have reddish-brown highlights, no thumb, slender with long limbs, powerful, prehensile tail, protruding belly, large testicles, largest of the Neotropical primates Habitat: Moist rain forest, seasonal semideciduous forest Diet: Leaves, fruit, nectar, seeds Locomotion: Braciation, suspensory, quadrupedal walking and running on large branches, leaping Behavior: Variable social structure, sometimes multimale-multifemale and sometimes fission-fusion, males associate with males and females with females, territorial, communicate through vocalizations, urine washing and scent marking, diurnal, arboreal, non-aggressive, little social grooming Back to Primate Groupings

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