Amazing Monkeys of Amazon

This article was written by Phin Upham.

The Amazon has one of the densest populations of monkeys in the world, with so many varieties that scientists have yet to see and categorize them all. Most monkeys in the Amazon actually have a prehensile tail that can serve as an additional limb for gripping. Here, we read about some of the more common species of monkey that call the rainforest home.

Tamarins

Tamarins are about the size of a common squirrel. These monkeys are known for their strange appearance, including a handlebar mustache that would make Ron Burgundy jealous. They are long-haired monkeys with prehensile tails.

Howler Monkey

Howler monkeys are named after the distinctive sounds they make. Distinctive because howlers are, in fact, the loudest animals in the world. Territorial calls from howler monkeys can be heard up to three miles away, but they tend to stay in groups to protect themselves from predators and other bands.

Spider Monkey

Spider monkeys are agile and active creatures with long arms and legs. These monkeys can weigh up to 24 pounds, making them one of the larger animals to inhabit the rainforest. Their brains are also bigger than that of a howler monkey’s, and they are considered one of the most intelligent monkeys in the Amazon.

Squirrel Monkeys

These monkeys are small, weighing in at just about three pounds, but they gather in large groups. Up to 500 of these monkeys can be spotted around the rainforest, with at least a dozen separate species inhabiting jungles from Central America to the Southern Amazon.