The common woolly monkey, Lagothrix lagotricha, is a primate from the Atelidae family which lives in the South American rainforests. It is covered in soft, thick curly hair, apart from the underside of its tail, so making it fully prehensile.
Profile
Vulnerable (VU)
Lifestyle
There is no strict social structure in this primate: males and females of all ages and from several family units come together in groups of 18 to 45 individuals. Their olfactory communication is atypical: they deposit scent marks by licking the ground and then rubbing their chest or anal glands in the same place.
Distinctive features
It is one of the largest monkeys in South America.
Its prehensile tail is almost as long as the rest of its body.
The woolly monkey is an excellent climber, so the Park's enclosures are designed to allow the animals to reproduce the behaviour they would have in the wild. Intertwined ropes and trunks are an ideal playground for them!
Anecdote
This monkey is regularly killed for its meat and captured to supply a pet market. For every young monkey sold, ten adult females are killed. With a low reproduction rate (one young every two years), this species is struggling to cope with these threats, as well as with the changes that agriculture is inflicting on its habitat.
