#owl monkey

Today's animal of the day is the Gray-Bellied Night Monkey (Aotus lemurinus)!

Photo credit: David Monroy R.

Also known as the gray-legged douroucouli or the lemurine owl monkey, this small species of New World monkey can be found in the tropical rainforests of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. As their name suggests, they are mostly nocturnal and, as such, have extremely large (and adorable) eyes to help them see better in low-light conditions. They're most active during twilight or when the moon is out, and spend their time searching for fruit, insects, and nectar to eat. Though if these food sources are unavailable, they've also been known to prey upon small birds and mammals. During the day, they usually take shelter in tree hollows to sleep. Unlike many other species of New World monkeys, the gray-bellied night monkey and the other members of its family lack prehensile tails, which means that they aren't able to use their tails as a sort of fifth limb to grab branches while climbing through the trees.

Photo credit: David Ángel-Vasco

Like most primates, these monkeys are social creatures and are typically found in family groups that consist of a mated pair and their offspring. They are one of the few monogamous primates, and pair bonds usually last for life. There's also no sexual dimorphism between the sexes, and both parents, as well as the older siblings, will work together to raise their babies. However, it's actually the fathers who do most of the work raising the young, and while the females still nurse the baby and occasionally carry them, they won't take over for the dad even if he dies!

Photo credit: David Monroy R.

Luckily, the pair's older offspring usually stick around for a while to help care for their younger siblings, which helps prepare them for when they're old enough to leave their parents and start families of their own. While these monkeys do make a variety of vocalizations such as low-pitched rumbles, high-pitched shrieks, and even owl-like hooks, most of their communication is actually done through smell. They have special glands near the base of their tails that produce a brown, oily secretion that they use to mark their territories, which usually aren't that big compared to other monkeys. There used to be four subspecies of gray-bellied night monkeys; however, recent genetic evidence showed that three of those subspecies (Brumback's night monkey, the gray-handed night monkey, and the Panamanian night monkey) were actually their own separate species.

Photo credit: D. Gordon and E. Robertson