Mandrill

Biography of Mandrill

The mandrill is a medium to large sized primate, natively found in a small pocket of tropical jungle in western-central Africa. The mandrill is most commonly known for it's red and blue coloured nose and it's multicoloured rear end. The mandrill is not related to the great apes but is thought to be closely related to the baboon, another medium-sized African primate that is found in eastern and southern Africa. The mandrill was even once thought to be a sub-species of baboon but this is now not believed to be the case.

Mandrill Habitat

The Mandrill is found in the tropical rainforests and occasionally grasslands of southern Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Congo in western-central Africa. The mandrill's habitat is bordered by the Sanaga River to the north and the Ogooué and Ivindo rivers to the east. Recent research suggests that mandrill populations north and south of the Ogooué river are so genetically different that they are in fact separate subspecies. Mandrills have distinctively coloured noses and rumps which make them stand out in the forest.

Troops of Mandrill

Mandrills are sociable animals and inhabit areas of forest in large groups known as a troop. The mandrill troop primarily includes female mandrills and their young who are led by a single dominant male mandrill. The alpha male mandrill both mates with his females and protects them. Most adult male mandrills that are not leading a troop tend to be solitary animals. Mandrills are omnivorous animals and therefore eat almost anything. The mandrill primarily feeds on fruits, berries, seeds, nuts, roots, leaves, insects and even small mammals and reptiles. Most of the mandrills diet is found at ground level or just above.

Due to their large size, mandrills have few predators in their natural environment. The leopard is the main predator of the mandrill, along with large snakes and birds of prey, who prey more upon the mandrill young. The human is also one of the mandrill's main predators as they have hunted the mandrill over the years for meat. Today the mandrill is considered to be an animal species that is vulnerable to extinction, as mandrill population numbers have been declining due to over-hunting an habitat loss.

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Howler Monkey

Howler monkeys (genus Alouatta monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are among the largest of the New World monkeys. Fifteen species are currently recognised. Previously classified in the family Cebidae, they are now placed in the family Atelidae. These monkeys are native to South and Central American forests. Threats to howler monkeys include human predation, habitat destruction and being captured for captivity as pets or zoo animals.

These monkeys are famous for their loud howls, which can travel three miles through dense forest. Howler monkeys have short snouts and wide-set, round nostrils. Their noses are very keen, and the Howler monkey can smell out its food (primarily fruit and nuts) up to 2km away. Their noses are usually roundish snout-type, and the nostrils have many sensory hairs growing from the interior.

They range in size from 56 to 92 cm (22 to 36 in), excluding their tails, which can be equally as long, in fact in some cases the tail has been found to be almost 5 times the body length. This is a prime characteristic. Like many New World monkeys, they have prehensile tails, which they use for picking fruit and nuts from trees. Unlike other New World monkeys, both male and female howler monkeys have trichromatic color vision.

Howler monkey Credit

This has evolved independently from other New World monkeys due to gene duplication. They have lifespans of 15 to 20 years. Howler species are dimorphic and can also be dichromatic (i.e. Alouatta caraya). Males are, on average, 1.5 to 2.0 kg heavier than females. The hyoid of Alouatta is pneumatized, one of the few cases of postcranial pneumaticity outside Saurischia. Howler monkeys generally move quadrupedally on the tops of branches, usually grasping a branch with at least two hands or one hand and the tail at all times.

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Indri

The Indri is a large species of lemur found only on the secluded island of Madagascar. The Indri evolved in the same way as every other lemur, from smaller individuals that came to the island from Africa around 50 million years ago. Due to the fact that there were no other primates to compete with, lemurs soon adapted to live in a variety of habitats, producing a diverse range of different species. Locally, the Indri is known as the babakoto which means little father or ancestor of man.

 

Like all lemurs, the Indri is found only on the island of Madagascar in lowland jungle and tropical forests. Lemurs are arboreal animals meaning that they spend the majority of their lives, eating, sleeping and mating high up in the trees. Today, the Indri however is only found in small pockets of protected forest in Eastern Madagascar, due to increased levels of logging and the clearing of land for agriculture across the island. Although actual figures are unknown there are thought to be less than 10,000 Indri left in Madagascar, meaning that the species is under severe threat in it's natural environment.

The Indri is a sociable animal, living in small family units of between 2 - 6 individuals, that consist of a male and female pair with their young. Lemurs are unique among primates as it is the females who are the dominant ones, meaning that they get to feed first while the males defend their territory. Indri's communicate through a series of eerie wailing calls both to unite families and also to mark their territory, that can be heard up to 2km away. They also urinate along borders to mark out their patch. One of the most noticeable differences between lemurs and monkeys is their dog-like snout which gives all lemurs an excellent sense of smell so they are able to sniff out these markings with ease and avoid confrontation.

The Indri is a herbivorous animal, unlike many other primates that will munch on almost everything in sight. Indris are diurnal animals meaning that they are most active during the day and this is when they hunt for food, both in the trees and on the ground. Females get first pickings and are often found foraging for very new leaves. Young leaves make up the majority of the Indri's diet along with fruits, seeds and flowers, which are easily picked up with their nimble fingers. Indris are known to eat a wide variety of plant matter although it is thought that they predominantly eat vegetation that comes from the trees. Source

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White Face Capuchin

The white faced capuchin also known as the white headed capuchin and the white throated capuchin, is a medium sized species of monkey that is native to the jungles of Central America and the northern regions of South America. The white faced capuchin is one of the most well known monkeys, particularly in North America, and the white faced capuchin is thought to be one of the most intelligent monkeys in the world with the white faced capuchin being best known as a companion for organ grinders and are also used to assist people that are paraplegic.

The white faced capuchin plays a vital role in the eco-system where the white faced capuchin inhabits, as the white faced capuchin is one of the most effective dispersers of plant and fruit seeds throughout the jungle. The white faced capuchin does this by eating the fruits and berries that grow in the surrounding jungle and the seeds are then put back into the ground in the feces of the white faced capuchin. The white faced capuchin live in troops which generally contain around 20 individual white faced capuchin members.

The white faced capuchin is a highly adaptable mammal and is known to live in all different types of forest in Central and South America. Although the white faced capuchin mainly feeds on fruits and berries, the white faced capuchin also eats insects, plants and even small creatures such as frogs and birds. Within a white faced capuchin troop, there tend to be more female white faced capuchin members than males and as with many other species of sociable primates.

The white faced capuchin troop generally has an alpha male member whose primary role is to breed with the female members and to protect their troop. White faced capuchin troops are not thought to be highly territorial as they spend a great deal of their time on the move. On average a white faced capuchin will travel 2 km every day but there always seems to be conflict when faced with a different troop of white faced capuchin monkeys. Source

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Woolly Monkey

The woolly monkey is a medium to large sized primate, that inhabits the tropical forests of north-west South America. The woolly monkey is most well known for it's round-shaped head and dense fur that covers the body of the woolly monkey. Woolly monkeys are found throughout Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and parts of Venezuela where they live an arboreal lifestyle. Woolly monkeys have long and very strong prehensile tails which allows them to balance and grip onto branches without having to give up the use of their hands.

Woolly Monkey Credit

There are four different species of woolly monkey found in the South American jungles today. These are the brown woolly monkey (also known as the common woolly monkey), the grey woolly monkey, the Columbian woolly monkey and the silvery woolly monkey. All four of the different woolly monkey species are found in the same regions of South America. The woolly monkey gets its name from its soft and thick, curled fur which ranges from brown to black to grey, depending on the species of woolly monkey. Woolly monkeys have relatively stocky bodies, with powerful shoulders and hips.

Woolly Monkey Credit

Like many other primate species, woolly monkeys live together in fairly large groups known as troops. The woolly monkey troops contain both male woolly monkeys and female woolly monkeys. The woolly monkey troop is also known to split up into smaller groups when it is time to forage for food. The woolly monkey is an omnivorous animal, meaning that it feeds on both plants and other animals. Fruit is the primary source of food for woolly monkeys, but they will also eat nuts, seeds, leaves, flowers, nectar, insects and even small rodents and reptiles.

Due to their relatively large size, woolly monkeys have few natural predators within their jungle environment. Large birds of prey such as eagles, are the main predators of the young woolly monkeys, and wildcats such as ocelot and jaguars are the main predators of the adult woolly monkeys. The human is also one of the main predators of the woolly monkey as they are hunted for their meat and fur. The alpha male woolly monkey will mate with the females in his troop. After a gestation period of between 7 and 8 months, the baby woolly monkey is born. Source

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