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Yellow-tailed woolly monkey

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Yellow-tailed woolly monkey[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Primates
Family:
Atelidae
Genus:
Oreonax

Thomas, 1927
Species:
O. flavicauda
Binomial name
Oreonax flavicauda
(Humboldt, 1812)
Geographic range
Synonyms
  • hendeei Thomas, 1927
  • Lagothrix flavicauda

The yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Oreonax flavicauda) is a New World monkey endemic to Peru. It is a rare primate species found only in the Peruvian Andes, in the departments of Amazonas and San Martin, as well as bordering areas of La Libertad, Huánuco and Loreto. Traditionally placed in Lagothrix with the rest of the woolly monkeys, this species was moved to the monotypic genus Oreonax in 2001, though a more recent and comprehensive review suggests this was incorrect.[3]

Discovery and rediscovery

The species was first described by Alexander von Humboldt in 1812 under the name Simia flavicauda, based on a skin found 10 years earlier, used by a local man as a horse saddle. Humboldt had never seen a live animal of this species nor a preserved specimen, and believed it belonged to the genus Alouatta. For over 100 years, the species was reported on only a few isolated occasions, so was thought to be extinct.

In 1974, a group of scientists, led by Russell Mittermeier, and funded by WWF, found a young yellow-tailed woolly monkey which was kept as a pet in the city of Pedro Ruiz Gallo, Amazonas.[4] The rediscovery attracted the attention of national and international press, as well as conservation organizations that saw the need to know quickly the status of this species.

Description

[5]

Habitat and distribution

The yellow-tailed woolly monkey lives in the montane cloud forests of the Peruvian Andes at elevations of 1,500–2,700 m (4,900–8,900 ft) above sea level in the departments of Amazonas and San Martin, as well as bordering areas of La Libertad, Huanuco and Loreto. Its habitat is characterized by steep gorges and ravines. The original extent of its habitat is estimated to be around 11,000 km2 (4,200 sq mi),[6] but recent estimates put the remaining habitat at between 6,000 and 7,000 km2 (2,300 and 2,700 sq mi).[7]

Diet and natural history

Its diet is primarily frugivorous, but leaves, flowers, insects and other invertebrates are also eaten. The yellow-tailed woolly monkey is arboreal and diurnal. It has a multiple-male group social system and a polygamous mating system. The species has a variety of vocalisations, including a loud "puppy-like" bark which it uses as a territorial or alarm call.

Conservation

The inaccessibility of its habitat protected the species until the 1950s. However, the construction of new roads, habitat loss and fragmentation from agriculture, logging and cattle ranching, and subsistence hunting, together with the monkey's naturally low population densities, slow maturation, low reproductive rate, have led to a predicted decline of at least 80% over the next three generations. This and its restricted geographic distribution have led to this species' current critically endangered status.[2][8]

Conservation work started soon after the species was rediscovered in the mid-1970s.[6][9] This pioneering work by the Peruvian NGO APECO[10] led to the creation of three protected areas, Rio Abiseo National Park, Alto Mayo Protected Forest and Cordillera de Colán National Sanctuary. From the mid-1980s until recently, little more conservation or research efforts were made on the species. Starting in 2007, though, British NGO Neotropical Primate Conservation has been running conservation initiatives for the species throughout its range.[11][12][13]

The species is considered one of "The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates".[14]

References

  1. ^ Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 152. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ a b Template:IUCN2011.2
  3. ^ Rosenberger and Matthews, 2008. Oreonax – not a genus. Neotropical Primates 15(1): 8-12
  4. ^ Mittermeier, R.A., Macedo-Ruiz, H. de, Luscombe, B.A.y Cassidy, J. (1977) Rediscovery and conservation of the Peruvian yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda).
  5. ^ The yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Oreonax flavicauda) is one of the rarest Neotropical primates and is one of Peru's largest endemic mammals. Adult head and body lengths can range from 51.3 to 53.5 cm with tails even longer than the body, up to 63 cm (25 in). The average weight is 8 kg in adults, however some males have been seen reaching up to 11.5 kg. Peruvian yellow-tailed woolly monkeys are similar in size to the common woolly monkey, also known as the genus Lagothrix. They live in large social groups (approximately 23 individuals) made up of both male and females. They have low reproductive rates and long inter-birth intervals, which adds to their vulnerability for extinction. They are known to express aggressive behaviors upon initial encounters such as branch shaking, “mooning” of the scrotal tuft, and short barking calls. The yellow-tailed woolly monkeys fur is longer and denser than other woolly monkeys; an adaptation to its cold montane forest habitat. The monkeys color is deep mahogany and copper with a whitish patch on its snout extending from the chin between its eyes. Its fur gets darker towards its upper body, making its head seem almost black. It has a powerful prehensile tail, with a hairless patch on its underside and a yellowish pelage on the last third of the tail giving this species its name. This coloration of the tail is not seen in infants and juveniles. The powerful tail is capable of supporting the animal's entire body weight while feeding or just hanging around; it also uses its tail to help locomote through the canopy. The monkey is also known for its long yellowish pubic hair tuft. It has the ability to leap 15m (49.2ft).Gron KJ. 2010 September 30. Primate Factsheets: Yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Oreonax flavicauda) Taxonomy, Morphology, & Ecology . <http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/yellow-tailed_woolly_monkey/taxon>. Accessed 2013 October 24.
  6. ^ a b Leo Luna M (1982). Estudio Preliminar Sobre la Biología y Ecológica del Mono Choro de Cola Amarilla Lagothrix flavicauda (Humboldt, 1812) (Master thesis). Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima.
  7. ^ Buckingham F & Shaneee S (2009). "Conservation priorities for the Peruvian yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Oreonax flavicauda): a GIS risk assessment and gap análysis" (PDF). Primate Conservation (24).
  8. ^ Shanee S, Shanee N & Maldonado AM (2008). "Distribution and conservation status of the yellow-tailed woolly monkey Oreonax flavicauda in Amazonas and San Martín, Perú". Neotropical Primates. 14: 115–119.
  9. ^ Leo Luna M (1987). "Primate conservation in Peru: a case study of the yellow-tailed woolly monkey". Primate Conservation (8): 122–123.
  10. ^ APECO
  11. ^ Shanee S & Shanee N (2009). "A new conservation NGO, neotropical primate conservation: Project experiences in Peru" (PDF). International NGO Journal. 4 (7): 329–332.
  12. ^ Shanee N & Shanee S (2010). "Community Based Conservation for the Yellow Tailed Woolly Monkey, Peru" (PDF).
  13. ^ Shanee N, Shanee S & Maldonado AM (2007). "Conservation assessment and planning for the yellow-tailed woolly monkey in Peru". Wildl. Biol. Pract. 3 (2): 73–82. doi:10.2461/wbp.2007.3.9.
  14. ^ Mittermeier, R.A.; Wallis, J.; Rylands, A.B.; Ganzhorn, J.U.; Oates, J.F.; Williamson, E.A.; Palacios, E.; Heymann, E.W.; Kierulff, M.C.M.; Long, Y.; Supriatna, J.; Roos, C.; Walker, S.; Cortés-Ortiz, L.; Schwitzer, C., eds. (2009). "Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates 2008–2010" (PDF). Illustrated by S.D. Nash. Arlington, VA: IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group (PSG), International Primatological Society (IPS), and Conservation International (CI): 1–92. ISBN 978-1-934151-34-1. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

14. ^Gron KJ. 2010 September 30. Primate Factsheets: Yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Oreonax flavicauda) Taxonomy, Morphology, & Ecology . <http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/yellow-tailed_woolly_monkey/taxon>. Accessed 2013 October 24. 15. ^Shanee, Sam, Noga Shanee, and Angela M. Maldonado. "distribution and conservation Status of the Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey (OreOnax flaviCauda, Humboldt 1812) in amazonas and San Martín, Peru." NEOTROPICAL PRIMATES 1 (2007): n. pag. Square Space. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. http://primates.squarespace.com/storage/PDF/NP14.3.oreonax.distribution.pdf 16. ^Shanee, Sam, and Noga Shanee. "Activity budget and behavioural patterns of free-ranging yellow-tailed woolly monkeys Oreonax flavicauda (Mammalia: Primates), at La Esperanza, northeastern Peru." Contributions to Zoology 1 (2011): 269-277. Print. http://www.ctoz.nl/cgi/t/text/get-pdf?c=ctz;idno=8004a04

External links

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