One of the main reasons why many people visit the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest is because they can see many monkeys in their natural habitat. The most common monkeys of the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest are Howler Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, Squirrel Monkeys, Tamarin Monkeys and so on. Let us now look into some more details about these monkeys….
Howler Monkey
Howler Monkeys are the largest of all the primates in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest, and they are also the loudest, with their “howling” heard up to 20 miles away! The enlarged hyoid bone is what helps in making this howling sound.
There are about 15 species of Howler monkeys too, most of which are found in the Amazonian jungles. The howler monkeys live in groups of 5-19 individuals, with one male to 4 females; however, they come from different backgrounds.
This is because howler monkeys usually leave the group they were born into as they mature and join a new one. Their diet mainly consists of young, tender leaves and fruits.
Spider Monkey
Spider Monkeys are “New World” monkeys that rarely come to the grounds of the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. They usually live in the rainforest canopy, eating various kinds of fruits, seeds, bark and insects. Their name comes from the spider-like appearance, which is made possible through the long arms, legs and tail.
Spider Monkeys usually live in groups of 30 individuals and the important decisions are usually taken by the females of the group. It is believed that Spider Monkeys are the most intelligent primates to live in the world, surpassing those of Gorillas and Howler monkey intelligence levels.
Squirrel Monkey
Squirrel Monkeys are the most common monkeys seen in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. They are very small monkeys, weighing around 2-3 pounds with a height of 10 inches. The tail of the Squirrel Monkey is only used for balancing, and unlike other monkeys, they cannot use it to grab onto tree branches.
Spider Monkeys are mostly active during the day and feed on leaves, fruits, seeds, lizards and insects. They are very social creatures and sometimes they make groups of 500 individuals so that they can protect themselves from other predators like raptors, snakes etc.
Tamarin Monkey
Tamarin Monkeys have a very distinctive appearance when compared to the other monkeys of the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. They usually have golden-brown fur and resemble a lion so they can be easily identified on rainforest canopies.
Tamarin monkeys are smaller than the Squirrel Monkeys. They only weighing less than 1 pound and with a height of 5-9 inches. Tamarin Monkeys live in groups of 30-40 individuals. When the young are born, it is usually the males and other monkeys that care for the babies. Only when it is time for nursing the baby is given to the mother. They feed on leaves, fruits, insects and lizards.
Capuchin Monkey
Capuchin Monkeys are also New World monkeys and they usually live in the rainforest canopy to be protected from predators. They only weigh around 9 pounds with a height of 12-22 inches as a grown adult.
Capuchin Monkeys live in groups of up 35 individuals and one dominant male controls the group. The male also has the right to mate with all the females in the group. They are also active during the day and feed on leaves, fruits, insects, molluscs and so on.
