Colombian woolly monkey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Colombian woolly monkey |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
| Family: | Atelidae |
| Genus: | Lagothrix |
| Species: |
L. lagothricha
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| Subspecies: |
L. l. lugens
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| Trinomial name | |
| Lagothrix lagothricha lugens Elliot, 1907
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| Colombian woolly monkey range | |
| Synonyms | |
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Lagothrix lugens |
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The Colombian woolly monkey (Lagothrix lagothricha lugens) is a type of monkey found in Colombia. Sadly, it is considered critically endangered, which means it is at a very high risk of disappearing forever.
These monkeys are a subspecies of the common woolly monkey. For a while, scientists thought the Colombian woolly monkey was its own separate species. However, a study in 2014 showed that it is actually a subspecies of the common woolly monkey. Important groups like the American Society of Mammalogists and the IUCN Red List now follow this finding.
About the Colombian Woolly Monkey
Colombian woolly monkeys are known for their thick, woolly fur. They belong to a group of monkeys called ateline primates. These monkeys live in the forests of Colombia.
What Makes Them Special?
One interesting thing about Colombian woolly monkeys is how different the males and females look in size. This is called sexual dimorphism. Among all ateline primates, Colombian woolly monkeys show the biggest difference in body size between males and females.
Male Colombian woolly monkeys are much heavier than females. They can be about 45% heavier! Scientists are still trying to figure out exactly why this size difference is so big. It's not because females choose larger males to mate with. In fact, all adult males in a group will mate with females, and fights between males over mating are very rare.
See also
In Spanish: Mono lanudo colombiano para niños
