Facebook Friends: Colombia: Caquetá Titi Monkey (Callicebus caquetensis)
Here, representing the country of Colombia, where someone who likes the Daily Mammal on Facebook lives, is a new mammal, the Caquetá titi monkey! And I don’t only mean it’s new to this site; it’s new to science, too, having been described only in 2008. This monkey lives only in one small part of one department of Colombia. Though we don’t know for sure, estimates of its range size are less than 100 square kilometers, which is an area smaller than San Francisco, California. In 1976, a biologist first mentioned this monkey, but that area of Colombia is the site of so much political violence that it took scientists decades to confirm its existence.
Sadly for the Caquetá titi monkey, it was discovered right into critical endangerment. There may be only some 250 of the monkeys. Their habitat is threatened by both cattle ranching and the illegal farming of marijuana, coca, and poppies, as well as the general poverty of the area, and the guerrilla activity there makes conservation efforts difficult.
Apparently, Caquetá titi monkeys mate for life, and pairs of them sit with their tails intertwined.
Conservation International’s press release about the monkey’s discovery“
Great drawing! You’ve refined your coloring work, particularly the colored pencils, to where there are several distinct textures in evidence here, from the smooth shininess of the face to the choppy hair of the forehead to the longer, more flowing hair of the beard. And a focused look on the little titi monkey that says if no one else pays attention to your article, he will!
Hey, thanks, Ted! I’m glad you like it. I drew it pretty quickly and distractedly, actually, but sometimes that gives a nice loose texture to the fur.
Very interesting. I hope these monkeys can increase their small population.
Thank you, Grace. I hope so, too. There sure aren’t very many of them. That’s only half as many monkeys as there were primates in my graduating class.