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Woolly monkey - LAGOTHRIX LAGOTHRICHA
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: The most distinctive feature of this animal is its extremely prehensile, very flexible tail, which acts like a fifth hand (it can actually grasp objects). The body is covered with a dense, woolly, pale gray-brown coat. The legs and arms are quite long. The head is round and large, and the face is hairless. Length of head and body 20 to 24 in, tail 24 to 28 in, weight about 13 lbs.
Location: Amazon Basin, Orinoco River, upper reaches of the Amazon, eastern slopes of the Andes.
Habitat: Arboreal. Equatorial forests.
Behavior: This monkey feeds mainly on fruit and leaves. It lives in large groups which split up while feeding. During the day it methodically makes its way from one tree to the next, making frequent use of its prehensile tail, in search of trees with a more plentiful supply of food. When eating it sits, or hangs by its tail to grasp food out of reach of its hands. It rarely descends to the ground, and when it walks it assumes an upright position.
Reproduction: The gestation period lasts for about five months, after which a single offspring is born.
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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