The Ecuadorian Amazon is home to a great variety of monkeys, among the highest number of species in the world. Yasuní National Park alone is home to 14 species! They are all very different from one another and are scientifically considered a different family from the monkeys found in Africa or Asia. In a few words, they are ‘Monkeys of the New World’, considered evolutionary unrelated to other primates.
The first image that probably comes to mind when you think of a monkey is that of a chimpanzee and a banana. This idea bears little resemblance to what one observes when seeing a monkey in its natural habitat, far from the presence of humans and in an untouched tropical forest like that of the Amazon Basin in Ecuador.
This region is a place of privilege for any monkey-watchers out there. It actually becomes “a thing”, because it is very common to spot many species of monkey as one ventures into the forest.
In the mornings and afternoons, you can hear the unmistakable, deep and threatening sounds of the howler monkey, as the male marks its territory with a harrowing rumble, created by a specialized bone in the animal’s throat, an emblematic sound of the Amazon jungle that holds much mystery and fascination. Sometimes, from high up in the canopy observation towers built in the jungle lodges, you can spot these species.
Monkeys take the stage
It’s difficult to take your eyes off the squirrel monkeys or barizos, and capuchin monkeys that scandalously jump from tree to tree, some carrying the extra weight of their young. The enormous chorongos, or woolly monkeys with their characteristic fur, on being blown a kiss would very probably return the gesture, showing their round faces and big eyes.
Yasuní National Park alone is home to 14 species! They are all very different from one another and are scientifically considered a different family from the monkeys found in Africa or Asia.
Another species, not so easy to see due to their size and the habitat in which they roam, is the pygmy marmoset, so small it fits in the palm of your hand; they only feed on the sap from certain trees and vines. A little larger and easier to spot are the adorable chichicos (Golden-mantled and Napo Tamarin Monkeys) and the fabulous Titi Monkey, with its large, curious white eyebrows. There are also Night Monkeys, who love peering out from inside tree holes they use to sleep in during the day. Finally, you have the Amazonian “Yeti”, a spectacular creature indeed: the plush Saki monkeys.
Text: Cristina Miranda
The monkey fulfills a crucial role within its ecosystem. Those that are predators execute a key mission in the control of the size of populations of other species, and those that are herbivores and frugivores are great seed dispersers, ensuring the successful reproduction of many trees and plants. Certain species are in danger due to the threat of hunting and the increasing deforestation, destruction, and alteration of their habitat. So, let’s save the monkeys of the Amazon, true keepers of the forest.
Photographs: Juan Pablo Verdesoto
