Wild Facts

Photo by Einar Fredriksen (Wikimedia)

Yesterday we observed the incredibly unique Tube Nosed Bat and although there is little information on this newly discovered species, we managed to learn a few things. Today, we are going to study an animal that has more information that we know what to do with. The Rhesus Monkey is actually one of the best known species of Old World Monkeys. The natural range of the famous monkey includes Pakistan, India, Southeast Asia, Afghanistan and China, however, you will also find a troop or two living in Florida. Yes, you can see wild Rhesus Monkeys in the United States, which were apparently introduced to help enhance a tourist operators “Jungle Cruise”. Something tells me he didn’t have permission to release these monkeys into the Florida landscape.

One Intelligent Monkey

The Rhesus Monkey was able to survive in the forests of Florida due to their intelligence. These animals are able to adapt to many different environments and have been known to live within human settlements throughout India. I guess it is nice to see humans interacting with one of our long lost cousins. Personally, I am not sure if I would want a troop of Rhesus Monkeys living in my neighbourhood. These troops can get as large as 200 members and the Rhesus Monkey isn’t known for being a quiet species. I have a feeling you would have a tough time getting any sleep with an active, noisy troop of 200 monkeys roaming the streets of your neighbourhood.

Photo by J.M.Garg (Wikimedia)

The Astronaut

So just how smart is the Rhesus Monkey? Well, they actually beat humans into space! That’s right, this was the species of monkey that we decided to send into space before we made the trip ourselves. For some reason, I can’t get the image of a little monkey in a space suit flying a shuttle out of my head. I guess that must have been “One small step for monkey…..One giant leap for monkey-kind”.  This isn’t the only time that the Rhesus Monkey has helped out the more “advanced” human race. These little critters have aided a large number of medical and scientific research including the discovery of the different human blood groups. We owe a lot to this little monkey, don’t we? The next time you see a Rhesus Monkey, make sure you thank them for everything they have done.

That does it for today’s history lesson on the incredibly well known Rhesus Monkey. Tune in tomorrow for a lesser known species.

Photo by Markrosenrosen (Wikimedia)

It looks like you made it to the weekend! I know all of you have been working very hard after a relaxing holiday, so I thought I should reward you with a Wild Fact about a cute and cuddly animal. Personally, I thought yesterday’s fact on the Anopheles Mosquito would have fallen into this category but I don’t think everyone sees it that way. So we are going to end the week with the fun and furry Blue Monkey, which is also known as the Diademed Monkey but that is tough to say so I think I will stick with the Blue Monkey. Is this monkey really blue? Find out in about 4.5 seconds…

How Blue is the Blue Monkey?

The short answer to this obvious question is “No”. The Blue Monkey is not noticeably blue, however, they have little hair on their face and this does occasionally give them a bluish appearance. For the most part the Blue Monkey is actually an olive or grey colour, except for the face which is typically dark with a yellowish patch on their forehead. Perhaps they should be called the “Yellowish, Olive/Grey Monkey”. Sure it doesn’t sound that great but at least it would be more accurate.

Photo by D. Gordon E. Robertson (Wikimedia)

A Forest Home

So where can we find our “Blue” Monkey? This particular monkey is native to Central and East Africa in the canopy of the evergreen forests or the montane bamboo forests. I have never personally been to a “bamboo forest” but it sounds absolutely incredible. If any readers have experienced this intriguing forest, could you please let me know what it was like? Thanks! Anyway, back to our monkey friend….

Life is Not Fair

Since the Blue Monkey prefers to live in trees that are capable of providing both food (fruits and leaves) and cover, they are quickly losing their habitat. For some reason, humans prefer to clear out these useful trees to create pine plantations. After this occurs, the confused monkey will begin peeling the bark off of these new, exotic trees trying to find something to eat. Naturally, this doesn’t go over well with “us” and measures are taken to ensure the Blue Monkey “Pests” no longer damage the pine plantations. Is it just me or does this not seem fair to the monkey?

That does it for the week. Enjoy your weekend and I will see you on Monday.

Photo by Kolumbusjogger (Wikimedia)

After spending yesterday in the trees learning about the Northern Cardinal, I thought we would change courses and head to the Ethiopian Highlands where the trees are few and far between. While wandering through the grassland escarpments and deep gorges, keep an eye out for the worlds most terrestrial primates,(with the exception of humans) known as the Gelada. This particular primate is a shaggy, baboon-like animal that can only be found in the highlands of Ethiopia. So what are you waiting for? We have a plane to catch if we want to make it to Africa before sundown.

Night Time Thrill Seekers

As mentioned, the habitat of the Gelada is slightly different than most other primates. They give up the forests and plains for a high altitude grassland that consists of many rocky cliffs and gorges. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is cool to live near a cliff, however, I don’t think I would like to try sleeping in a huddled group on a ledge, like our baboon friends do. I would be deathly afraid to roll over in my sleep if I were a Gelada. Once the sun rises, these Old World Monkeys climb back over the cliff and forage in the mountainous grasslands. This sounds a lot more relaxing than their thrill-seeking sleeping habits!

Photo by BluesyPete (Wikimedia)

The Lazy Monkey Adaptation

The Gelada is the last known species of a very old lineage of grazing primates that used to dominate the landscape. Much like they have adapted to living on cliffs, this Old World Monkey has also adapted to sitting around all day and eating grass. How? Well, their buttocks have extra cushioning, much like humans – and I don’t mean that as insult to anyone out there. Considering they literally sit around all day, this evolution of a soft cushion seems pretty smart to me.

The True Boss

Much like humans, the Gelada lives in family units but they generally consist of one male and there to six females. Like most other animal species, the male is typically larger and more colourful. Unlike most other primate troops (except for humans), the females are in control of the Gelada family. Once the male begins to deteriorate as a result of age, it is the females that decide when a new younger male will replace him. Granted, the old guy will do everything he can to ward off the competition but there is only so much he can do. Poor guy!

That does it for our trip to Ethiopia. I hope you enjoyed learning about one of the most terrestrial primates on earth.

Photo by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen (Wikimedia)

I feel like it has been quite awhile since we have had the chance to study a monkey. So, I thought we could all take a trip to Southeast Asia to learn about an Old World Monkey called the Red-Shanked Douc. Like a lot of the animals that have made an appearance on Wild Facts, the Red-Shanked Douc is considered to be Endangered as a result of habitat loss and poaching. Apparently, people illegally hunt these primates for their meat or to keep as pets. I am sure they make beautiful pets, but I don’t think I could handle having a monkey roaming around my apartment.

Trick Or Treat

The Red-Shanked Douc is also known as the Costume Ape, which is fitting since they are one of the most colourful primates out there. If you look at the picture you will see that this monkey is wearing reddish stockings stretching from their ankles to their knees. To make an even bolder fashion statement they also appear to be wearing white forearm high gloves. Their black hands and feet top off this highly fashionable outfit. I am pretty sure you will be seeing this ensemble on the fashion runway soon.

Photo by Art G.(Wikimedia)

One Big Family

Like other monkey’s the Red-Shanked Douc is a social animal and generally lives in groups consisting of 4 to 15 individuals, however, some groups have been known to get as large as 50. Each group usually consist of one or more males with approximately two females per male so once again, you have to like the monkey’s chances for finding a girlfriend. Usually both females and males will leave the group they were born into, which helps spread their genetic code to other parts of the forest. When on the move, the Red-Shanked Douc, has an order that they must keep. Typically, dominant males will be up front, the juvenile males will be in the rear while the females and young are nestled in the middle. Obviously this is a defensive strategy to protect the females and the children.

High in the Trees

If you are hoping to catch a glimpse of these colourful primates then you had better be prepared to strain your neck. The Costume Ape is active during the day, however, all of their activities such as sleeping and eating take place high above the ground in the canopy of the trees. Although these arboreal creatures don’t have a prehensile tail, which is normal for Old World Monkey’s, they are still quite adept at living a life in the trees.

That does it for our Wednesday Wild Fact. I hope you enjoyed learning about the Red-Shanked Douc.

Photo by Marcel Burkhard (Wikimedia)

Anybody in the mood to learn about a little monkey? Well, I hope so since we are taking a trip to South America to learn about a New World Monkey called the Goeldi Monkey, which is also known as the Goeldi Marmoset. This little primate holds the honour of being one of the last New World Monkey’s to ever be discovered. I know this doesn’t sound like that much of an honour but try telling that to Swiss Naturalist, Emilo Goeldi who found this furry little monkey in 1904. How about we take the time right now to retrace the steps of our Swiss Naturalist friend and learn a little more about his discovery.

Similar to other primates the Goeldi Marmoset is a social animal that live in family groups lead by a monogamous, mated pair. Does this sound familiar at all? It should, since humans tend to have the same setup. The offspring tend to stay with the family for awhile where they help raise their siblings. I am not sure how long they stay with the group but my guess is until the patience of the parents is diminished and the little cute Marmoset is kicked out of the family…….but that is just a guess. Typically, the females will be the only ones that tend to the young for the first 10-20 days. After this, the males are allowed to help out, provided they don’t accidentally drop the baby monkey.

Photo by Alexandre Buisse (Wikimedia)

If you are visiting South America and hope to catch a glimpse of the Goeldi Monkey then you may want to look up into the trees. The long tails provide this primate with the balance required to swing around in the trees. In fact, they spend a good chunk of their time zipping through the forest looking for fruit. Interestingly enough, they usually have the company of other Marmoset or Tamarin species, which just goes to show that everyone likes a good road trip, regardless of species.

Goeldi Monkey Fast Fact –  Although the length of this primate is less than 30 cm (1 foot), they are capable of horizontally jumping a whopping 4 m (13 feet). Let’s see if we can put this into perspective. If you were around 6′ tall then you would be able to jump about 78′, which would probably get you a gold medal or two in the long jump.

Thanks for reading today’s Wild Fact. Enjoy the rest of your day and I will see you tomorrow.

Photo by Ruestz (Wikimedia)

HAPPY FRIDAY! Okay, so Friday’s don’t mean that much to me anymore since a Friday or a Wednesday are basically the same when you run your own business. To make this Friday a little more special I figured we could talk about a fun animal like the Guatemalan Black Howler, which is also known as the Yucatan Black Howler. It is a New World Monkey that can be found in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. So let’s grab the sunscreen and head to the sunny south to learn about this fun and exciting monkey.

The Guatemalan Black Howler is the largest of the Howler Monkey species and one of the largest of all the New World Monkey’s. I bet you are wondering how big they are, aren’t you? Well, I won’t keep you in suspense. The Guatemalan Black Howler on average weighs 11.4 kg (25 lbs), however, the females are typically smaller than this. Both sexes of this monkey species have black fur with a long prehensile tail. Although, the juveniles are easy to pick out since they start life out with a nice brown coloured coat of fur. I guess kids will always rebel against their parents, no matter what animal species.

Photo from Wikimedia

The diet of the Guatemalan Black Howler is predominantly leaves, which makes life tough since this type of vegetation is incredibly difficult to obtain nutrients from. As you might expect, our monkey friend has evolved a few adaptations to allow them to enjoy this high cellulose diet. First of all, they have molars that have high shearing crests which allows them to obviously shear the plant material into a nice leafy paste. Oddly enough, the males also have an enlarged hyoid bone, which does nothing to help digest the plant material but it does amplify their calls. How is this an adaptation to help them eat leaves? Well, it gives them the ability to call other males without having to expend much energy. For these monkey’s, energy is priceless since they don’t get much of it from their diet. Do you ever have those days where you feel like you have absolutely no energy? If you answered ‘yes’ to this question then perhaps you need to stop eating leaves!

Guatemalan Black Howler Fast Fact – As mentioned, energy is a priceless commodity for the Black Howler. As such, they spend most of their day simply resting. Eating takes up about a 1/4 of their day while moving around from place to place only takes up 1/10th of their time. The rest of their day is just lounging around in the trees. Now that is the good life!

I hope you enjoyed another week of animal facts. Have a great weekend and I will see you on Monday.

Photo by Grendelkhan (Wikimedia)

You know how I like to have Monkey Monday Wild Facts, every now and again.  Well my friends, today is one of those days!  I still think a great way to start a new week is to talk about a cute and funny looking Monkey.  The particular monkey that we will learn about on this Monday is the Allen’s Swamp Monkey.  So do they really live in a swamp?  Well, you will have to stick around to find out.  Right now, I can tell you that they hang out in the Eastern and Upper Basins from Congo to Western Zaire (that is in Africa, folks).

Let’s face it, there isn’t going to be much suspense to their habitat type with a name like Allen’s Swamp Monkey.  Of course, they can be found in the swamp forests or in the jungle surrounding major Rivers in the regions mentioned above.  Although, they like to hang out in these flooded forests, they still spend most of their time in the trees.  Perhaps, they just like the waterfront home to increase the resale value of their forest home.  Smart little monkey’s are always planning for the future!

Photo by Cacophony (Wikimedia)

Okay, so maybe they use the water for more things then just increasing their property value.  They do have webbed feet and will venture out into the shallow water to look for food. What do they eat?  Well, they will consume a variety of things from both land and water.  This includes, fruit, vegetation, nuts, insects, small fish, snails, and anything else they can get their hands on (and fit in their mouth).  The life of the Allen’s Swamp Monkey is not easy.  And not just because they live in a swamp but because they always have to be on the lookout for numerous predators including snakes, birds of prey and any other large animal that is hungry.  When confronted by one of these predators, the Swamp Monkey will let out a call to let the rest of the group know what’s going on.  At this point, one of two things will happen.  Either they will all flee and try to escape the grasps of the predator or they will all gang up and try to overwhelm the potential predator.  Obviously, these strategies vary depending on the situation but I like the idea of the monkey’s fighting back.

It looks like we are at the end of another Wild Fact.  They sure do go quick.  I hope you enjoy the rest of your Monday!

Photo from Wikimedia

It looks as though we are moving right along with the Wild Facts this week.  I don’t know about all of you but this week is starting to move at an incredibly quick pace.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that I am trying to get things ready for my move from the Yukon back to Ontario.  That’s right, I am moving out of the North and into Canada’s Capital city (no, not Toronto!).  As a result, next week will be a theme week so if you have any cool themes then please leave them in the comment section below.  My only other problem is finding time to write these facts before my Internet is disconnected.  But I will try my best!  Okay, enough of the personal update – let’s move onto the exciting stuff.  Today we are heading to Africa (I know we were just there a couple of days ago but I want to go back) to learn about the Vervet Monkey.  This particular monkey is considered to be an Old World Monkey and is often referred to just as “Vervet”.

The Vervet Monkey is apparently closely related to a couple of other African monkey’s.  These close relatives are the Grivet and the Malbrouck (perhaps we will discuss these two species in a future Wild Fact).  All three species are closely related but all live in different territories and in different locations.  In fact, these similar monkey’s rarely come in contact with each other.  Don’t you just hate it when you drift apart from your family?

Photo by Charlesjsharp (Wikimedia)

On average, the Vervet will be anywhere between 46 – 66 cm (17.9 – 25.7 “) long with a tail that is typically longer than their body.  Not only do they have a long tail but their arms and legs are also very long.  This provides the Vervet with the ability to run on all fours and they just happen to be pretty gosh darn quick on the ground. Although they are swift runners the Vervet Monkey spends most of their time in the trees (hence the super long tail).  Believe it or not, you will be hard-pressed to find a Ververt Monkey more than 450 meters from a tree.  This makes sense since these trees provide protection from predators, food and of course a wickedly cool tree-house.

Vervet Monkey Fast Fact – Typically the males are larger than the females but if you don’t want to use size to determine the sex of your monkey friend, you can always tell by the male’s bright blue………ummmm…..testicles.  This would definitely make identification a lot easier for all those monkey researchers.

Well, it looks like we are done monkeying around for the day so we should get back to work.  Enjoy the rest of your day!

Uakari Photo from Wikimedia

Okay so maybe this week’s Monkey Monday Wild Fact is a tad late but nonetheless, here it is!  That’s right, we are going to explore the life of a New World Monkey called the Uakari.  I know, I thought it was a pretty funny name as well.  If you want to actually pronounce the name properly then you need to say it like “wakari”, which is still pretty fun to say.  Go ahead and say it one more time before continuing on……”Wakari”! Okay, moving on. These particular primates can be found hanging out in the trees of the South American Rain-forests.  In all honesty, what doesn’t hang out in the Rain-forest?  That has to be one of the coolest places to live.

When you look at the picture, what is the first thing that you notice?  I am going to go out on a limb here and say you noticed the incredibly red face and bald head.  Apparently the red face may help with mate selection since animals stricken with malaria will generally have a pale face.  So if you ever get stuck with a case of malaria, just paint your face red and the opposite sex will be none the wiser.

Uakari Photo from Wikimedia

What you may not have noticed from the picture is the Uakari differs from most other South American monkey’s since they actually have a short tail.  How do they hang around in the trees if they don’t have a long tail?  Great question!  Apparently they don’t actually need the long prehensile tail to swing from branch to branch.  They get by just fine with their powerful arms and legs, which makes me ask the question of why the other monkey’s need such a long tail?  It also makes me think that perhaps humans still have a chance to live a life in the trees.

This New World Monkey is very social and can often be found living in a troop of more than a hundred individuals.  This big, happy family will typically split out into smaller groups of 1 to 10  in order to forage throughout the day.  I wonder how they decide who goes into what groups? I feel bad for that poor monkey who gets picked last.  Once darkness falls, this troop of Uakari’s will head to the canopy and sleep in the comfort of the trees.

So there you go, a Monkey Monday Wild Fact for you on this beautiful Thursday.  I hope you enjoyed it and I will see you tomorrow for the last fact of the week.

Photo by dsasso (Wikimedia)

In order to get the week of Wild Facts started off on a the right foot, I figured we would do another Monkey Monday.  For some reason, talking about monkeys always makes me laugh and puts me into a great mood.  Let’s face it, we could all use an uplifting Wild Fact to start the week off.  The monkey that has the task of turning a plain ol’ Monday into a barrel of laughs is the Night Monkey, also known as the Owl Monkey.  These little monkeys are widely distributed throughout the forests of Central and South America.  It sure does seem like those forests are chalked full of entertaining animals.

At first glance you may have noticed that the Night Monkey is missing their ears.  Obviously these monkeys have ears but they tend to be small and hidden.  In fact, the genus of the Owl Monkey, which is Aotus actually means “earless”.   Clearly the scientist who named this monkey did not take a closer look at them.  Even though their ears are tiny, this doesn’t mean that the rest of their attributes follow suit.  of course I am talking about their eyes, which are quite large.  As their name suggests the  Night Monkey is actually a nocturnal monkey, so they are active during the night.  Yes, these large brown eyes are perfect for collecting the little light available during these darker hours.  Hmmm… I suppose their second name, Owl Monkey, is also derived from their large eyes and night time habits, but this is just a guess.

Photo from birdphotos.com (Wikimedia)

Even if you never get to see the Night Monkey, I am sure you will have plenty of opportunities to hear them.  These monkeys may be small but they sure are loud.  In fact they have a variety of noises that they can make.  Some of the sounds in their vast repertoire include grunts, screams, moans, shrills and even gulps and hoots.   Why is it always the nocturnal animals that make such loud noises?  Is this nature’s cruel joke so we can’t get any sleep?

Night Monkey Fast Fact – The Night Monkeys are one of the few New World Monkeys that are not able to see colour.  In reality, it probably wouldn’t be much of a benefit to see colour if you are only active at night.  Other monkeys may be able to see the vibrant colours of the world but the Owl Monkey has higher spatial resolution at night which allows them to catch insects and move about in the dark of the night.  Personally, I wouldn’t give up my seeing colours for better night vision but then again, I am not a Night Monkey.

Well that does it for Monkey Monday.  I hope today’s fact started your week off just right.  If it didn’t then I suggest looking at the second picture of the monkeys again.  See, even they are smiling because it’s Monday.  Enjoy the rest of your day.