Wild Facts

Since I am still having nightmares from the vicious Honey Badger Wild Fact, I figured I would calm things down today and write about a nice, soft, fuzzy monkey.  Well I guess it isn’t technically a “Fuzzy Monkey” since I am actually talking about the “Woolly Monkey”.  For the record, if I ever discover a new monkey species, I am naming it the Fuzzy Monkey.

The Woolly Monkey can be found hanging out in the tropical forests of north-west South America. They are actually well known for their incredibly round head and of course for their dense “wool-like” fur.  Not unusual for monkey’s the Woolly Monkey has a strong prehensile tail which allows them to live a life in the trees.  The Woolly Monkey is a social animal and will usually live in troops ranging from 10 to 45 individuals.  That would be one soft, cuddly troop of monkey’s.

Although they live in this main group they will often break up into sub-foraging groups of 2 to 6 individuals.  No this isn’t just because a monkey troop is as cliquey as a Grade 9′s homeroom class (do they even have homeroom still?).  Actually, they create these smaller groups to reduce the food competition between the individual members of the hunting party. This way, everyone gets some food to eat without having to cheat, steal and lie. Good strategy, Woolly Monkey!

Woolly Monkey

The Woolly Monkey can weigh up to 8 kg (18 lbs) and as a result only has a few natural predators such as  eagles and cats like the jaguar. Of course, humans are probably their largest predator since we seem to like the way they taste.  Similarly humans will often capture them for use in the illegal pet trade.  If anyone you know has a Woolly Monkey, it very well could be illegal.  I guess I will have to find a new Christmas gift for my monkey-loving mother.

Woolly Monkey Fast Fact – Play time is very important for the Woolly Monkey as it not only creates lifetime bonds between troop members but it also establish the hierarchy of the troop.  Just like in the school yard it is  play time that identifies the leader of your clique.

That does it for today’s mid-week Wild Fact.  I will see all of you tomorrow with another animal.

Wooohooo!! Another week of Wild Facts.  I know all of you wish that the weekend would just hurry up and get out of the way so you can start reading these interesting animal facts again.  Pesky weekends! Today we are going to look at the Cotton-Top Tamarin and they personally remind of a Gremlin. Does anyone else see this resemblance? You may remember we discussed a similar animal called the Emperor Tamarin, the one with the big mustache. Like their cousin the Cotton-Top Tamarin is also a small monkey found in the beautiful forests of South America.

The Cotton-Top is only about 18-30 cm (7-12″) long and is different than most monkey’s since they don’t have an opposable thumb or a prehensile tail. Don’t worry since this doesn’t make them any less of a monkey although I am sure they get teased by all of the other monkey’s during recess. This particular tamarin species has claws on all of their fingers and toes except for the big toe, which has the customary flat nail.  I would guess that the claws help this little monkey hang out in the trees with the rest of their friends.

If you want to get a glimpse of these little guys then you are in luck since they are diurnal animals which simply means they are most active during the day.  It is in the bright daylight hours that they will be on the hunt for both plants and animals to consume.  Among their favourites are fruit, insects and lush green plants.  They will also throw in the odd rodent or the eggs of an unsuspecting reptile, and to conquer that sweet tooth they will feast on tree sap.  Once the sun sets the Cotton-Top Tamarin will retreat to the tree tops for some much needed rest.

Photo by: Raimond Spekking

These little “Gremlins” can be a noisy bunch and have about 38 distinct sounds which express joy, curiosity, fear, warnings, playfulness and other important behavioural sounds. I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised to hear that this monkey is a complex animal. After all, we do have common ancestors, right? Judging by the hair I am pretty certain that the famous boxing promoter, Don King is directly related to the Cotton-Top Tamarin. I bet the scientist from Back to the Future is also closely related.

Cotton-Top Tamarin Fast Fact – This beautiful little creature is considered to be critically endangered with a population somewhere around 6000 individuals.  This is no surprise since they have lost about 75% of their habitat due to deforestation.  I am still holding out that someday we will realize that everything on this earth is connected and we are only hurting ourselves by decimating animal populations.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.  I have this crazy urge to go and watch Gremlins now.  I wonder what happens if you feed a Cotton-Top Tamarin after midnight?

A Gremlin

Today is a special post since it is Wild Fact #800! Can you believe we have already done 200 interesting animal facts? We have learned a lot of crazy things from snakes that play dead to fish that can walk on land.  Just think about what other amazing species that inhabit this earth we will learn about in the next 800 Wild Facts.  I guess now would be a good time to get the 800th Fact started.  We are going to learn about the Spider…..calm down, I am not talking about the bug, I am talking about the Monkey!  That’s right let’s take a closer look at the Spider Monkey.

To learn about the Spider Monkey we are going on a trip to the rain forest of Central and South America.  You coming, or what? Now that we have gotten through security and are enjoying a peaceful plane ride to South America let me tell you a few things about the Spider Monkey.  This way we will know what we are getting into when we are wandering through the forest. First, we need to know what they look like.  The spider monkey can get as long as 2 feet and has lanky arms and a nice long tail.  As with other monkey’s they use this tail for gripping and hanging out in the trees.  Since they spend most of their time in the trees we will most likely have a kink in our necks by the time we are done visiting the rain forest.

The spider monkey is a very social animal and will usually gather in groups of two or three dozen (that is 24-36 monkey’s).  This group will usually break up into smaller sub-groups for foraging and sleeping.  This allows the food to be dispersed evenly amongst the groups. The part that I find interesting about their social behaviour is the fact that it is the female monkey that will leave the group to find a new family.  In most other monkey species it is the male that leaves the group. In my opinion, it is about time the female gets kicked out for once. Well, before we pick up our luggage and head out to the rain forest, let me give you one last fact.  Oh Man! Where are my bags??

Spider Monkey Fast Fact – Spider monkey’s really like to hang upside down with all four legs and tail holding onto a branch.  I guess this slightly resembles a spider hence their name.

Enjoy the rest of your day!