A brown-spider monkey in Selva de Florencia National Park. Photo courtesy of WCS.
Researchers with The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Colombia’s National Parks Unit have located at least two individuals of brown-spider monkey (Ateles hybridus) in Colombia’s Selva de Florencia National Park. The discovery is important because its the only known population of this particular subspecies (Ateles hybridus brunneus) in a protected area.
Listed as one of the world’s top 25 most imperiled primates, the brown-spider monkey is found only in Colombia and Venezuela. Deforestation and habitat loss poses the biggest threat to this Critically Endangered species with hunting also a problem in some areas. Slash-and-burn agriculture, logging, and increased human pressure are decimating some of the species’ range.
“This exciting discovery of brown spider monkeys in Selva de Florencia National Park emphasizes the importance of protected areas to safeguard wildlife—even for previously unknown species,” said Dr. Julie Kunen, WCS Director of Latin America and Caribbean Programs, in a press release. “The fact that the species was found in a protected area gives conservationists hope that populations will be safeguarded and can perhaps even grow in number.”
For more information on the top 25 most endangered primates: Humans push half of the world’s primates toward extinction, lemurs in particular trouble
A brown-spider monkey in Selva de Florencia National Park. Photo courtesy of WCS.
