Goeldi’s Monkey Natural History
Size
This monkey has a body length of around 8 inches with the tail adding a further 12 inches or so to its size. Their weight ranges from 350 grams up to 550 grams (12- 19 ounces).
Habitat and Distribution
This species lives in rainforests through the upper Amazon basin regions of Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru.
Age
This species generally lives for around 10 years in captivity.
Diet
This species feeds on a variety of food items including fruits, sap and a large number of insects.
Groups and Breeding
A female goeldi’s monkey will give birth to a single baby per year after a gestation of 140 to 180 days. After birth the Mother will call care for her young for the first 2- 3 weeks. However after this period the male will take over most of these responsibilities with the exception of feeding. Weaning takes around 65 days.
Threats
This species is listed as vulnerable due to its range being greatly fragmented by unsustainable living habitat where the forest has been destroyed through logging activity. Due to this there is an increased difficulty in breeding new and pure bloodlines and increased competition between groups over food.
Interesting Facts
This species shares its range with a number of tamarin species and can sometimes be seen living amongst mixed groups of tamarins in the wild.
The Goeldi’s Monkey During Your Day Out in Kent
We have two groups of Goeldi’s Monkeys at Wingham Wildlife Park. One group lives opposite the Ring-tailed Lemurs, as well as their inside enclosure in the chimp house. They can be seen alongside our Common Marmosets, Cotton Topped Tamarins and Red-handed Tamarins. They are named, Maggy, Bart and Lisa. Our second group consists of Ebony and Eugene, as well as two others who are yet to be named. This group can be found next to our budgies, in between the lemur enclosure and our gibbons.
The more you know…
Want to know more about this animal? Check out our keeper blogs about them here.