The southern muriqui (''Brachyteles arachnoides'') is a

muriqui The muriquis, also known as woolly spider monkeys, are the monkeys of the genus ''Brachyteles''. They are closely related to both the spider monkeys and the woolly monkeys. The two species are the southern (''B. arachnoides'') and northern ('' ...

(woolly spider monkey)

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

endemic to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Taxonomy

Taxonomy of muriquis is controversial because some scientists believe that they are a monotypic genus while others favor a 2-species classification system.

Distribution and habitat

Southern muriquis are now found only in specific areas of the Atlantic rainforest located in Brazil, South America, more specifically they are found in the Brazilian states of Paraná,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attra ...

and

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

. This

New World monkey New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Ceboidea ( ...

is known locally as ''mono carvoeiro'', which translates to "charcoal monkey".

Description

Muriquis are the largest New World monkeys and largest non-human native primates in the Americas. Male muriquis have a head-body length of , with a tail of and a body weight of . Females have a head-body length of , a tail length of and a body weight of . The tails are fully

prehensile Prehensility is the quality of an appendage or organ (anatomy), organ that has Adaptation (biology), adapted for grasping or holding. The word is derived from the Latin term ''prehendere'', meaning "to grasp". The ability to grasp is likely der ...

. The southern muriqui, ''B. arachnoides'', has a solid black face, distinguishing it from the northern species, '' B. hypoxanthus'', which has a black face mottled with pink.

Diet

Southern muriqui are frugivores, which means that fruit is the ''preferred'' food type. They have been claimed to possess the most diverse fruit diet in the Atlantic, and also consume leaves and flowers. The Southern muriqui can use more than one dietary type to fulfill nutrient and energy needs. Muriquis play a major role in seed dispersal and are known to provide complementary foraging opportunities for tapirs.

Behavior

Like chimpanzees, male southern muriquis are philopatric, while females immigrate to spread genetic diversity and avoid incestuous breeding with their relatives. They preferentially eat fruit, flowers, and buds and rely on tree bark and leaves as fallback food. Males within a community are tolerant of each other and intergroup aggression is rare. Although this species is nicknamed the "hippie monkey", due to their relaxed intergroup relationships, their attitude towards outsider males is far from harmonious, as group of males was observed killing a male from outside their group (a trait shared with chimpanzees), though it is not known if this degree of aggression is natural or induced due to a lack of resources. It is unclear if Northern muriquis also exhibit this degree of aggression.

Conservation

This species is considered endangered because of

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, hunting pressures, and historic population declines. Only two captive populations of the southern muriqui exist. They are housed at the zoos of

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in ...

and

Sorocaba Sorocaba () is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Sorocaba is the eighth-largest city in the state of São Paulo. Outside the Greater São Paulo region, it ranks behind only Campinas, São José dos Campos and Ribeirão Preto. It ...

. The latter is located 80 km from the only long-term investigation of the southern muriqui in continuous forest, the

Carlos Botelho State Park The Carlos Botelho State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho) is a state park is the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It protects a mountainous area of Atlantic Forest. The park contains more than half of Brazil's remaining population of endanger ...

. The wild population was estimated at 1,300 in 2005. Muriquis are the largest neotropical species and are considered a

flagship species In conservation biology, a flagship species is a species chosen to raise support for biodiversity conservation in a given place or social context. Definitions have varied, but they have tended to focus on the strategic goals and the socio-economi ...

. In 2005, scientists, zookeepers, NGOs, and many others discussed priorities and strategies to protect muriquis from extinction. The Brazilian government in 2010 recognized the National Action Plan for the Conservation of Muriquis.

References

External links

*Pró-Muriqui Association �
Conservation Research of southern muriqui ''(Brachyteles arachnoides)''

Conservation of the Muriqui from Brazil

southern muriqui The southern muriqui (''Brachyteles arachnoides'') is a muriqui (woolly spider monkey) species endemic to Brazil. Taxonomy Taxonomy of muriquis is controversial because some scientists believe that they are a monotypic genus while others favo ...

Mammals of Brazil Endemic fauna of Brazil Primates of South America Fauna of the Atlantic Forest

Taxa named by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire {{newworld-monkey-stub