Greetings my friends and welcome to this week’s topic, the owl monkey. The owl monkey or night monkey as it’s also called hails from Central and South America. The owl monkey inhabits the trees of the tropical rainforests and can also be found in lowland forests. It makes sense that it stays as far as it can off of the ground; it’s a lightweight that only weighs up to about 2 pounds.
The big eyes on these little critters are perfect for seeing in low level light. The downside to having such big peepers is that they are actually color blind. Another wild characteristic about the owl monkey is that is has extremely small ears. Its scientific name is Aotus which translates into “earless.”
This nocturnal creature enjoys a diet made up mostly of fruit but leaves and insects are also on the menu. Owl monkeys live in family groups. The male and female will mate for life and the gestation period for the owl monkey is 4 months. The offspring will be a part of the group until they reach sexual maturity, usually around the age of 3 years old.
The next time you’re in Timbavati Wildlife Park stop over into our Interaction Area and check out our Owl Monkeys. Talk to you all next week!
No comments:
Post a Comment