Muriqui: The Peace-loving Primate
Humans can learn a lot from monkeys, especially the muriquis. Also known as woolly spider monkeys, they are the largest primates in the Western Hemisphere. They are also one of the world's most endangered species. Captivatingly beautiful, muriquis are long limbed, lanky, and golden furred. They measure about 5 feet (1.5 meters) from the tip of a pink nose to the end of a prehensile tail.
The muriqui came to be called the woolly spider monkey, or Brachyteles arachnoides, because of perceived similarities between it and its closest relatives: the woolly monkey and the spider monkey. The muriqui's species name, arachnoides, is derived from the Greek word for spider. The muriqui can resemble a spider when its limbs are elongated. However, muriquis are still so astoundingly different from woolly and spider monkeys that they have their own genus, Brachyteles, referring to the diminutive thumb of the muriquis. They are even unique when it comes to locomotion.
Most monkeys move on all fours, using their hands and feet. Muriquis get from here to there in a process called brachiating, literally swinging from tree limb to tree limb, hand over hand. The muriqui's most unique quality, however, may be its unusually tolerant, mellow, peace-loving nature. It is quite different from the chest-thumping "King Kong" stereotype associated with other primates. Troops of these rare fruit- and leaf-eating creatures are composed of anywhere from 8 to 43 individuals of both sexes and all ages--all living in harmony. Native to the coastal rain forest of Brazil, muriquis give group hugs. They are nonterritorial and avoid aggressive encounters among troop members. They even tolerate other muriqui interlopers. These creatures are so polite that they have been observed queuing up to dip their hands into water. The muriquis lack an apparent pecking order or dominance hierarchy. Males and females enjoy peer status. Males spend a great deal of time together without aggression, an unusual trait in primates.
Part of their live-and-let-live philosophy may be due to the fact that male and female muriquis are approximately the same size. Females have an average weight of about 26 pounds [12 kg], males about 33 pounds [15 kg]. But scientists have yet to definitively determine why muriquis are so mellow. Some hypothesize that their peaceable nature may be a result of strong family ties and a social structure based on male bonding and female dispersal. In one 14-month study of a 26-member muriqui troop, it was observed that male muriquis did not leave the group in which they were born. Immature female muriquis, ages five to seven, however, tended to strike out on their own. This behavior led researchers to speculate that males mated with the same limited number of female troop members. Thus over several generations the members of the muriqui troop becoming genetically related to one another.
More research is needed to adequately explain the mellow nature of the species. One fact that is clear, however, is that muriquis are in danger of becoming extinct. Currently, it is estimated that there are only 1,000 living muriquis. This represents a decline of more than 60% in their population over the past quarter-century. Hunting and poaching have decimated the population over the years. However, the biggest threat to the muriquis is their shrinking natural habitat. Much of Brazil's Atlantic coastal rain forest is being cut back for pastureland and settlement. Amid the bad news, however, there is a glimmer of hope. There are considerable conservation efforts under way. Several hundred genetically diverse muriquis already live under protection at a private reserve called Fazenda Montes Claros, near Caratinga, in Brazil's state of Minas Gerais.
In 2001 work began to locate groups of muriquis at Brazil's Serra dos Órgãos National Park as well. So far, several groups have been spotted there. Researchers are also collecting and analyzing muriqui feces in order to gather data about the genetic makeup of these troops and the types of plants they prefer to eat. With the information culled from their research, scientists may be able to rehabilitate current environments should they become nonviable. It is hoped that these types of conservation efforts will help the muriquis to survive and thrive, allowing future human generations to enjoy and appreciate these unique creatures.
The muriqui came to be called the woolly spider monkey, or Brachyteles arachnoides, because of perceived similarities between it and its closest relatives: the woolly monkey and the spider monkey. The muriqui's species name, arachnoides, is derived from the Greek word for spider. The muriqui can resemble a spider when its limbs are elongated. However, muriquis are still so astoundingly different from woolly and spider monkeys that they have their own genus, Brachyteles, referring to the diminutive thumb of the muriquis. They are even unique when it comes to locomotion.
Most monkeys move on all fours, using their hands and feet. Muriquis get from here to there in a process called brachiating, literally swinging from tree limb to tree limb, hand over hand. The muriqui's most unique quality, however, may be its unusually tolerant, mellow, peace-loving nature. It is quite different from the chest-thumping "King Kong" stereotype associated with other primates. Troops of these rare fruit- and leaf-eating creatures are composed of anywhere from 8 to 43 individuals of both sexes and all ages--all living in harmony. Native to the coastal rain forest of Brazil, muriquis give group hugs. They are nonterritorial and avoid aggressive encounters among troop members. They even tolerate other muriqui interlopers. These creatures are so polite that they have been observed queuing up to dip their hands into water. The muriquis lack an apparent pecking order or dominance hierarchy. Males and females enjoy peer status. Males spend a great deal of time together without aggression, an unusual trait in primates.
Part of their live-and-let-live philosophy may be due to the fact that male and female muriquis are approximately the same size. Females have an average weight of about 26 pounds [12 kg], males about 33 pounds [15 kg]. But scientists have yet to definitively determine why muriquis are so mellow. Some hypothesize that their peaceable nature may be a result of strong family ties and a social structure based on male bonding and female dispersal. In one 14-month study of a 26-member muriqui troop, it was observed that male muriquis did not leave the group in which they were born. Immature female muriquis, ages five to seven, however, tended to strike out on their own. This behavior led researchers to speculate that males mated with the same limited number of female troop members. Thus over several generations the members of the muriqui troop becoming genetically related to one another.
More research is needed to adequately explain the mellow nature of the species. One fact that is clear, however, is that muriquis are in danger of becoming extinct. Currently, it is estimated that there are only 1,000 living muriquis. This represents a decline of more than 60% in their population over the past quarter-century. Hunting and poaching have decimated the population over the years. However, the biggest threat to the muriquis is their shrinking natural habitat. Much of Brazil's Atlantic coastal rain forest is being cut back for pastureland and settlement. Amid the bad news, however, there is a glimmer of hope. There are considerable conservation efforts under way. Several hundred genetically diverse muriquis already live under protection at a private reserve called Fazenda Montes Claros, near Caratinga, in Brazil's state of Minas Gerais.
In 2001 work began to locate groups of muriquis at Brazil's Serra dos Órgãos National Park as well. So far, several groups have been spotted there. Researchers are also collecting and analyzing muriqui feces in order to gather data about the genetic makeup of these troops and the types of plants they prefer to eat. With the information culled from their research, scientists may be able to rehabilitate current environments should they become nonviable. It is hoped that these types of conservation efforts will help the muriquis to survive and thrive, allowing future human generations to enjoy and appreciate these unique creatures.
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