This monkey is primarily from the Central and South American jungles. It is also called the owl monkey due to the largeness of the eyes which allows for a greater amount of light to enter. They are nocturnal and have no color vision, but have excellent low level and night vision which enables them to catch insects and move in darkened conditions with greater ease then other types of primates. The more scientific name for the owl monkey is the douroucoulis. The female and male monkeys weigh very close to the same, with males weighing just a bit more, at 2.76 pounds.

The family unit is composed of pairs, with the offspring that is not mature yet. They use scent marking with vocal calls to defend territorial boundaries.  The unusual aspect of the pairing is that the night monkey offspring are raised by the male and usually one offspring is born per year.  This is different from most other types of primates where the female is the primary caregiver.

The variety of calls, whistles, hoots and other verbal communication is limited to about eight main types. The reason these are important is for use in defining territory, bounds and as warning about predators. The range of elevation these monkeys can be found at is large, and as a result, the amount of fur is greater among those living in higher forested elevations.

One of the reasons why the night monkeys are valued by humans is for medical research purposes. These are some of the species that are susceptible to the malaria virus that humans have, so they are used as test animals for vaccines. There are a variety of opinions as to the correct classification of the population of the owl monkey, with the most preferred classification being in one or two main groups. There are differences in chromosome varieties that lead more modern thinking naturalists to break up the species into a variety of classifications.  There are fossil species that are considered to be of a different species but the extant species are part of this classification. It is certain, however with a large range of forested areas in remote areas the night or owl monkey will remain alive and well for a number of years.

Night Monkey – South American Owl Monkey