Aotus hershkovitzi
| Gray-bellied night monkey | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Aotidae |
| Genus: | Aotus |
| Species: | A. lemurinus |
| Binomial name | |
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Aotus lemurinus I. Geoffroy, 1843 |
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| Geographic range | |
| Synonyms | |
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hershkovitzi Ramirez-Cerquera, 1983 |
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hershkovitzi Ramirez-Cerquera, 1983
The gray-bellied night monkey (Aotus lemurinus), also called the grey-legged douroucouli or lemurine owl monkey, is a small New World monkey of the family Aotidae. Native to tropical and subtropical forests of South America, the gray-bellied night monkey faces a significant threat from hunting, harvesting for use in pharmaceutical research and habitat destruction.
There have been up to four subspecies of the gray-bellied night monkey. All but the nominate subspecies have been elevated to full species rank. The three species formally considered subspecies are:
Additionally, Hershkovitz's night monkey Aotus hershkovitzi is now considered to be a junior synonym for A. lemurinus.
Like other members of their genus, this species is nocturnal; its small, round head is striped with black and is dominated by two large, brown eyes. The overall effect is not unlike an owl; the monkey's eyes shine a reddish orange by reflected light. Its white eyebrows are bushy, with a patch of darker fur between them. Its grey fur is described as dense and woolly, with the animal's underside being yellow to orange in colour. Its brownish black to orange tail is not prehensile and invariably tipped with black.
The gray-bellied night monkey has slender limbs with long, delicate fingers; its fingertip pads are wide. Adults may attain a weight of 1.3 kilograms; there is no sexual dimorphism observed.
Found in both dry and moist areas, the gray-bellied night monkey occupies all levels of the forest canopy; however, it is seldom found on the ground. It prefers dense vegetation with tangles of vines where the trees are evenly dispersed. Its range is from Colombia and north-eastern Argentina to Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama; it is also found in the tropical Andes.
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