NIGHT MONKEYS

The night monkey genus, Aotus, includes at least twelve species and three subspecies.

Aotus 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…

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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…

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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…

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Aotus lemurinus

CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE

The Colombian night monkey, also known as the gray-bellied monkey, the gray-necked monkey, the lemurine night monkey, and the lemurine owl monkey, is native to South and Central America. This monkey’s territory ranges from Ecuador and Peru to Guyana and Brazil, and from Panama to northeast Argentina… 

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Aotus griseimembra

CONSERVATION STATUS: VULNERABLE

Gray-handed night monkeysalso referred to as gray-legged douroucouli, lemurine owl monkeys, or gray-legged night monkeys, are a primate species native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Colombia and Venezuela. Between the two countries, the geographical borders of their home range include Colombia’s Sinú…

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Photo courtesy of ©Seig Kopinitz. Used with permission.

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…

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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…

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Photo credit: Charles J Sharp/Creative Common

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…

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Photo credit: David Larson/Flickr/Creative Common

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…

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