NIGHT MONKEYS
NIGHT MONKEYS
The night monkey genus, Aotus, includes at least twelve species and three subspecies.
Aotuc miconax
CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED
Andean night monkeys, also known as Peruvian night monkeys, are endemic to the South American country of Peru, in the Andes Mountains. They are found between elevations of 2,600 to 10,200 feet (800–3,100 meters) in the humid cloud forests of the mountains. In some cases, Andean night monkeys are able to live in…
Aotus azarae
CONSERVATION STATUS: LEAST CONCERN
Azara’s night monkeys, also called Azara’s owl monkeys and southern night monkeys, are endemic to the Gran Chaco region of South America—a large area including many diverse ecosystems, from grasslands to savannas to xeric thorn forests and gallery forests. These monkeys occupy all strata of the forest and are…
Aotus nigriceps
CONSERVATION STATUS: LEAST CONCERN
Black-headed night monkeys are native to neotropical South America. They are found in areas of the Amazonian and Madeiran forests in Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia. They are also found in several forest areas near river basins such as Huallaga, Ucayali, Yavari, Purus, and Madre de Dios. Black-headed night monkeys prefer…
Aotus lemurinus
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
The Colombian night monkey is a New World monkey with a host of aliases—including gray-bellied night monkey, gray-bellied owl monkey, lemurine night monkey, and lemurine owl monkey—and is native to the South American countries of Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. Primary and secondary evergreen tropical…
Aotus griseimembra
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
Gray-handed night monkeys, also called gray-legged night or owl monkeys, are endemic to Colombia and Venezuela. They are found in the lowland forests on the banks of the Magdalena River and the valleys of the Cauca and São Jorge rivers. Some populations also live in the Sinú Valley, located at the low point of…
Aotus nancymaae
CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE
The soulful eyes of the Nancy Ma’s night monkey, also called the Ma’s Night Monkey or Peruvian red-necked owl monkeys, peer from the hollow of trees in the Amazonian neotropics of South America. They make their homes in rainforests that range from Northern Peru to Western Brazil. Their exact natural distribution in…
Aotus trivirgatus
CONSERVATION STATUS: LEAST CONCERN
Northern night monkeys—also known as northern owl monkeys, three-striped night monkeys, or douroucoulis—are found north of the Amazon River, primarily between southern Venezuela and north-central Brazil. In Venezuela, they range south of Río Orinoco and east as far as the middle Rio Caroni; in Brazil, they…
Aotus zonalis
CONSERVATION STATUS: NEAR THREATENED
Panamanian night monkeys—also known as Chocoan night monkeys or Cocoan owl monkeys—live in the lowlands of Panama and in the western or Chocó region of Colombia. There have also been reports of their incidence on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Panamanian night monkeys primarily live in mature and secondary…
Aotus vociferans
CONSERVATION STATUS: LEAST CONCERN
First described in 1823 by German naturalist Johann Baptist von Spix, Spix’s night monkey (Aotus vociferans)—also known as the Colombian gray night monkey, noisy night monkey, or Spix’s owl monkey—is found north of the Amazon River in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its range is limited by geographical barriers: the…