Northern Muriqui
Encyclopedia
The northern muriqui is an endangered muriqui
(woolly spider monkey) species
endemic to Brazil. It is unusual among primates in that shows egaliterian
social relationship. It is found in the Atlantic Forest region of the Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro
, Espírito Santo
, Minas Gerais
and Bahia
. Muriquis are the largest species of New World monkeys. The northern muriqui can grow up to 4' 2" tall. It feeds mainly on leaves and twigs, but will also eat fruit. It often hangs upside-down by its prehensile tail
while eating.
primates. It is threatened by hunting and (in common with most other primates of the region) destruction and fragmentation of its Atlantic Forest habitat. The wild population was estimated at 855 in 2005. This represents the sum of a number of isolated populations, the largest with only 230 members, none of which were considered likely to be viable over the long term at those levels.
since it is one of the few primates that has tolerant, nonhierarchial relationships among and between males and females, a feature shared with hunter-gatherer
humans, but which contrasts with the ranked relationships of most other primates. There is also the rarity of group aggression. Research finds the success of males fathering offspring links to the maternal investment they gain from their mothers and coresident female kin. This provides supports to the grandmother hypothesis
.
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. There are two species, the southern and northern muriqui...
(woolly spider monkey) species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
endemic to Brazil. It is unusual among primates in that shows egaliterian
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
social relationship. It is found in the Atlantic Forest region of the Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
, Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
, Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
and Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
. Muriquis are the largest species of New World monkeys. The northern muriqui can grow up to 4' 2" tall. It feeds mainly on leaves and twigs, but will also eat fruit. It often hangs upside-down by its prehensile tail
Prehensile tail
A prehensile tail is the tail of an animal that has adapted to be able to grasp and/or hold objects. Fully prehensile tails can be used to hold and manipulate objects, and in particular to aid arboreal creatures in finding and eating food in the trees...
while eating.
Endangered
B. hypoxanthus is one of the world's most critically endangeredCritically Endangered
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....
primates. It is threatened by hunting and (in common with most other primates of the region) destruction and fragmentation of its Atlantic Forest habitat. The wild population was estimated at 855 in 2005. This represents the sum of a number of isolated populations, the largest with only 230 members, none of which were considered likely to be viable over the long term at those levels.
Human evolution relevance
The northern muriqui has been argued to be important to understanding human evolutionHuman evolution
Human evolution refers to the evolutionary history of the genus Homo, including the emergence of Homo sapiens as a distinct species and as a unique category of hominids and mammals...
since it is one of the few primates that has tolerant, nonhierarchial relationships among and between males and females, a feature shared with hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
humans, but which contrasts with the ranked relationships of most other primates. There is also the rarity of group aggression. Research finds the success of males fathering offspring links to the maternal investment they gain from their mothers and coresident female kin. This provides supports to the grandmother hypothesis
Grandmother hypothesis
The grandmother hypothesis is a theory to explain why menopause, rare in mammal species, arose in human evolution and how a long post-fertile period could confer an evolutionary advantage....
.