Trivia question for Jun-03-2011

Carter found a furry little critter to feature for todays trivia.  Let’s see how he does. These guys move between every level of thick forests, from the ground-cover of the forest floor to the upper canopy some 200-feet high.  They are listed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN.

These monkeys are predated by a variety of species of eagle and cat-like species like the Jaguar. Its main predator however, is humans, who hunt the species both for nutrition and for the illegal pet trade. Habitat encroachment is also threatening the survival of the species and it is believed that all these factors are the cause of the species recent decline.

So here are Carter’s questions: Tell us what type of monkey this is and tell us what the native American Indians used to do with the fat from the bodies of these guys.  Also, their is a particular type of eagle which is large and strong enough to literally pluck these guys off of branches as it flies through the trees, tell us which eagle does this?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to Carmel for being the first to answer our trivia.  The monkey we featured is the Woolly Monkey.  There are four species of woolly monkey. All originate from the rain-forests of South America. They have a prehensile tail and live in relatively large social groups.

Native American Indians used to use the fat from the Woolly Monkey as cooking oil.  The Harpy Eagle has strong talons and they often swoop down a snatch adult Woolly Monkeys from the tree tops.  Woolly Monkeys are therefore always on the lookout.  They have even learned to throw sticks and shake branches to scare them away.  Here is more on these cute monkeys:  Woolly Monkey

Thanks for playing along 😉