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Goeldi’s monkey

Callimico goeldii

230429 NZ Goeldi Monkey CC HR 06
IUCN Conservation Status –
Least Concern
Extinct In The Wild
Class: Mammals
Order: Primates
Family: Callithrichidae

Head towards the African Savannah to find our Goeldi’s monkey family.

Goeldi’s monkeys are small primates native to the upper Amazon Basin regions of Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. They prefer to live in the lower parts of bamboo forests amongst the developed undergrowth.

They are omnivores. In the wet season, their diet includes fruit, insects, spiders, lizards, frogs, and snakes. In the dry season, they feed on fungi, the only tropical primates known to depend on this source of food.

Interesting facts!

  • They can leap a horizontal distance of about 13 feet without losing height.
  • Goeldi’s monkeys communicate through vocalizations, scent glands on the stomach, facial expressions and body language. Their vocalizations include long-distance cries that travel more than 328 feet (100 meters).
  • The gestation period lasts from 140 to 180 days. For the first 2-3 weeks the mother acts as the primary caregiver until the father takes over most of the responsibilities except for nursing.

Conservation

Destructions of habitat is the main threat to Goeldi’s monkeys at this time. Managing a stable population of the species in zoological collections is important the help increase their numbers and learn more about their behaviour.