Golden Snub-nosed Monkey

Rhinopithecus roxellana

The Golden Snub-nosed Monkey is found only in a small, temperate, mountainous section of central China. They live at altitudes as high as 10,800ft, and can withstand cold temperatures better than just about any other primate species. Their snub-nose is actually a trait to help them deal with the cold; a longer nose would be more susceptible to frostbite!

Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys spend a majority of their time up in the trees. Their diet consists primarily of Lichens, but they'll also eat leaves, fruits, and seeds as well.

The species is highly social. During the summer they may come together in troops that number into the hundreds. During the winter the groups are much smaller, but still number 20-30 individuals. Within these bands are smaller family units that consist of a dominant male and a handful of females and their offspring. It is actually the females that initiate mating; the let the male know that they are ready with postures and signals. Usually only one infant is born after a gestation of 6 months, but twins sometimes occur.

Golden Snub-nosed monkeys, along with the other species of Snub-nosed Monkey, are endangered. This is because of habitat loss, and because of the practice of clearing dead trees. Lichens grow much better on dead trees, so the removal of this food source has a big impact on the Monkeys.

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IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : China
Size : Body Length up to 30in (76cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Cercopithecidae -- Genus : Rhinopithecus -- Species : R. roxellana

Goeldi's Monkey

Callimico goeldii

The Goeldi's Monkey, also called the Goeldi's Mormoset, is a curious little primate that is the size of a Marmoset, but exhibits characteristics of much larger Monkeys. It was one of the last New World Monkeys to be identified by science, and was named after its discovered, Swiss Naturalist Emilio Goeldi, in 1904.

One of the coolest facts about these guys is that they can horizontally jump 13ft (4m). That is an amazing distance considering that their body less is less than a foot!

Goeldi's Monkeys are social animals that live in family groups led by the monogamous mated pair. Their offspring will stay with the group for some time, helping to raise their younger brothers and sisters. Females will give birth to one infant at a time, and will exclusively care for it during the first 10-20 days of life. After that, the father and siblings will assist in raising the new member of the family.

Goeldi's Monkey

Sexual maturity is reached in about 9 months for females, and 17 for males, though the young Monkeys will often remain with their families past that point. When a partner or territory becomes available, the offspring may then leave the group to form a new one of their own.

Goeldi's Monkeys communicate through various means. They can project loud cries that can be heard hundreds of yards away, as well as quieter chips and noises to do things like greet and warn against danger. They also use body language and several different scent glands.

Unfortunately, Goeldi's Monkeys are becoming threatened throughout their range due to habitat loss. Some now live in protected wild areas, and captive breeding programs can be found in numerous zoos.

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable

Location : Amazon Basin, South America

Size : Body Length up to 9in (23cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Callitrichidae -- Genus : Callimico -- Species : C. goeldii

Wied's Marmoset

Callithrix kuhlii

Wied's Marmoset is a small New World Monkey that lives in a small little pocket of forest near the Brazilian Atlantic Coast.

The social structure of the Wied's Marmoset is rather interesting. They live in a polyandrous society led by a dominant female. This female is often the only one who mates, and she will typically mate with multiple males.

Another, even more interesting fact about these Monkeys is that they commonly exhibit Chimerism. Wied's Marmosets typically give birth to twins, and while in utero the cell lines of the twins can be exchanged, leaving the offspring with their own genotype, and also the genotype of their sibling. Because the society is polyandrous, two zygotes could be fertilized by two different males... which means a Wied's Marmoset can have genetic information from two different fathers. Also astounding is the fact that a male could pass on his secondary cell line, rather than his primary. This would result in offspring that are more closely related to their uncle than to their own father!

The result of the Chimerism is a society that is invested in raising the offspring as a group, as one can never know for sure whose genetic information can be found in with offspring!

The species is currently listed as Near Threatened, and the wild population is on the decline. This is due to habitat loss (for farming purposes) and hunting for the pet trade. Many of the Marmosets now live within the confines of wildlife refuges and national reserves, and they are listed in CITES II.

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IUCN Status : Near Threatened
Location : Brazil
Size : Body Length up to 28in (70cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Callitrichidae -- Genus : Callithrix -- Species : C. kuhlii

Sahamalaza Sportive Lemur

Lepilemur sahamalazensis

It amazes me sometimes that we are still only just discovering new species. And not just tiny little frogs and insects, but 2ft long Primates as well! Today animal, the Sahamalaza Sportive Lemur, was described for the first time in 2006! And it wasn't the only Lemur recently uncovered in the forests of Madagascar, it was actually one of fifteen!

The name of today's animal comes from the Sahamalaza Peninsula, the location in northwestern Madagascar where they live. Scientists aren't sure of their exact range and population size, but the Lemurs appear to be restricted to a small area and number somewhere in the low thousands. Observation has shown that they live alone or in pairs, and live a nocturnal lifestyle.

Like many Lemurs, the Sahamalaza Sportives are under pressure from hunting and habitat loss. They are particularly easy target for humans who want to do them harm, as they sleep in tree holes during the daytime and are relatively defenseless. Currently they are Data Deficient by the IUCN, but other agencies (including the Association Européenne pour l’Etude et la Conservation des Lémuriens) are working to put protections in place for the species.

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IUCN Status : Data Deficient
Location : Madagascar
Size : Length up to 21in (54cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Lepilemuridae -- Genus : Lepilemur -- Species : L. sahamalazensis

Lesula

Cercopithecus lomamiensis

I love writing about newly discovered animals, and this one is so new that it was just introduced yesterday! Meet Cercopithecus lomamiensis, locally referred to as the Lesula.

The Lesula avoided detection for so long because their native range is in very remote forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was only noticed because a man found a young one on a hunting trip, and brought it back to his 13-year-old niece, Georgette. Congo researcher John Hart noticed the beautiful monkey in Georgette's village in 2007, and spent the next five years trying to figure out what it was.

This new species is very striking. They have bright golden manes, red patches on their backs, and the males have bright aquamarine backsides (which allow the lady monkeys to find them in the thick vegetation-- bright blue really stands out!). They live in groups of up to five individuals, and feed on fruits and leaves.

The Lesula is one of the many monkey species that faces danger from local hunting. The meat is cheap, and in some places, very easy to obtain. Hart is currently trying to set up a preserve to keep this brand new species protected, as they are probably threatened enough to be listed as Vulnerable. Sadly, the monkey that started it all, was probably taken for food by one of Georgette's fellow villagers.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed (Probably Vulnerable)
Location : Democratic Republic of Congo
Size :  Weight up to 15lbs (7kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Cercopithecidae -- Genus : Cercopithecus -- Species : C. lomamiensis

Potto

Perodicticus potto

Meet the Potto! This interesting looking mammal is a member of the Primate order, and lives in the Equatorial Rainforests of Africa. They are the largest member of the Loris Family.

Males and females look alike and they have some neat little adaptations that help them to thrive in arboreal habitats. For one, they have highly flexible ankle and wrist joints. They also have opposable thumbs and vestigial index fingers that allow them to get better grips. Pottos also have special blood vessels in their limbs that allow them to keep their tight grips for longer periods of time.

Pottos also have a strange bit of anatomy whose full purpose we aren't 100% sure of. They have bony projections on their neck vertebrae that form a sort of shield. These bones are covered by a very sensitive layer of skin, which means the purpose may be for social reason, and it may also help to protect the Potto from predators. When threatened, Pottos tuck their head, in which presents the shield, and then they sway side to side making warning noises.

Pottos are nocturnal, and eat mostly fruit. They also consume gums, insects, and even small vertebrates! They are generally solitary, but they do interact with other Pottos at various non-breeding times, as well as during the very flexible breeding season. Because the ranges of males and females frequently overlap, it is believed that they have a either a promiscuous or polygynous breeding structure.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : Africa

Size : Length up to 15.5in (40cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Lorisidae -- Genus : Perodicticus -- Species : P. potto

White-Faced Saki

Pithecia pithecia (male)

The White-Faced Saki is one of the handful of Saki monkey species. They are all New World Monkeys, meaning that they live in the Americas. Today's animal in particular has a range that covers parts of Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.

The white face of the White-Faced Saki is found only on the males. In fact, there is a pretty striking different between the sexes. Males are a shiny black with a prominent white face. Females are brown all over, with only a small trace of lightness on the face. Both sexes have shaggy coats. Infants are born brown, and if male will begin to change color when they are around 2 months old.

White-Faced Sakis live in small family groups, and mated pairs are typically monogamous for life. The Monkeys communicate by making incredibly loud calls that can be heard from long distances away.

The Sakis live up in the trees, and have very long legs that are adapted for jumping downwards across branches. They forage for fruits, leaves, seeds, and honey during the daytime hours. Though they will occasionally consume insects, birds, and small mammals, they are primarily herbivores.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : South America
Size : Body length up to 19in (45cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Pitheciidae -- Genus : Pithecia -- Species : P. pithecia

Barbary Macaque

Macaca sylvanus

Meet the only primate (besides humans of course!) to live on the European continent. Barbary Macaques, which  also live in Morocco and Algeria, exist in a handful of colonies within the British territory of Gibraltar, which is located on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.

Though they are sometimes referred to as Barbary Apes or Rock Apes, that name is not technically correct. Though they do not have tails, they are actually true Old World Monkeys. They live in colonies that can number over 100 members, and they are relatively unique among Macaques in that the males actually help care for the young. This is due to the fact that the females will mate with more than one male, so the paternity of all offspring is uncertain.

Legend has it that British rule will continue on the tiny, 2.5 square mile stretch of land as long as the Macaques are around. (Sound familiar to a certain tale about the Tower Ravens, huh?) When the Monkeys began to dwindle in population during the early 1900s due to illness, more were important from Africa and reintroduced. There are now close to 300 Barbary Macaques living on the Rock of Gibraltar in a protected nature reserve (though they do come down to the city from time to time), and they have become quite the tourist spectacle!

Elsewhere the Barbary Macaque populations aren't doing so well. They were once widespread throughout Northern Africa, but now live in only a few pockets of Morocco and Algeria. Habitat loss from human encroachment and the logging industry has led to declining numbers. Hunting and culling practices have also led to lasting, negative effects on the species. They are now protected in a handful of national parks, and there are suggestions to reintroduce them to Libya and Tunisia.

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IUCN Status : Endangered

Location : Northern Africa, Gibraltar
Size : Body length around 2ft (60cm), Weight around 22lbs (10kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Primates
Family : Cercopithecidae -- Genus : Macaca -- Species : M. sylvanus