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Night monkey, owl monkey - AOTUS TRIVIRGATUS
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The word "Monkey": "Monkey" is of unknown derivation, but it may come from the old German story of "Reynard the Fox," in which the ape's son was named "Moneke."
Description: This is the only nocturnal monkey in the New World. The coat is dense and woolly, varying in color, but usually tending to gray, with three stripes on the head. The face looks like that of an owl, with large, round eyes. Length of head and body 9.5 to 18.5 in, tail 16 in, and weight 2.2 to 4.5 lbs.
Location: From Panama to northeastern Argentina.
Habitat: Arboreal. Forests, from sea level to an altitude of 7000 feet.
Behavior: This nocturnal animal lives in small family groups, and spends the hours of daylight hidden in hollows in the trees, or in vine tangles. At sundown the night monkey starts moving about with great ease in search of food. It eats fruit, leaves, insects, small birds, and even small mammals. As the following day starts to dawn, it returns to one of its few established hideouts. When in danger it emits a high-pitched shriek as an alarm signal. It can make a large variety of sounds, depending on the situation in which it finds itself, ranging from shrill cries to small squeaks, and from loud hoots to sharp clicks. Owl monkeys do not groom each other except immediately preceding copulation.
Reproduction: The single offspring (occasionally twins) is a family affair - the father, or sometimes an older sibling, will carry the infant on his back, except during nursing.
Go to the Primates Page to learn more about the other man-like animals.
Go to the Index to compare the various monkeys found in America Zoo.
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