Peru: Tambopata Reserve – Monkeys of Tambopata Reserve
Four new species of primates were added to my mammal list in the Tambopata jungle of the Peruvian Amazon – Tamarind monkey, Red Howler monkey, Dusky Titi monkey, and Squirrel monkey. Tamarinds are the smallest and the most peculiar monkeys of the Amazon rainforest with funny facial expression and often difficult to find as they are timid and move in small groups. Red Howlers are the biggest primates in the Amazon at nearly 1m/3ft tall, and you can hear their loud howls for miles away – sounds like lions. Dusky titi (yep, that’s the name) are the rarest monkeys here and also usually move quietly and in small groups, high up in the canopy. Finally, the squirrel monkeys are perhaps the most common – moving in massive troops of 30-50 individuals, they perform insane aerial acrobatics jumping from tree to tree, often at river’s edge.
