Nancy Ma’s Night Monkey

• Common Name: Nancy Ma’s night monkey
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1983
• Monkey Size: 53 to 77.4 cm (20.87 to 30.47 in)
• Skin Color(s): Light gray to light brown
• Habitat: Forest, rainforest
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Native Countries: Brazil, Peru

The Nancy Ma’s night monkey^[1] (Aotus nancymaae) is a species of night monkey from South America.

• It is endemic to Brazil and Peru. These small monkeys have non-prehensile tails. Their fur is light gray to light brown.
• These monkeys belong to the “red-necked” subgroup of Aotus and have orange-red hairs on the sides of the neck, the inner lining of the limbs, and the base of the tail.
• The tail is black-tipped and hangs down, a unique characteristic of all Aotus species. The coat is short, dense, and soft.
• Their hands are well-developed for grasping, and they can move more independently than other New World primates. The genitalia of adult Nancy Ma’s night monkey is brightly colored and flared.

• Nancy Ma’s night monkeys are social. They form small groups of 2 to 5 individuals, all directly related to each other.
• Competition for resources to create roosts results in strong territoriality within the groups, with individual groups often not interacting.
• Nancy Ma’s night monkeys roost in carefully selected roosts during the day.
• To keep in constant contact, groups of Aotus nancymaae constantly use a sequence of chirps, trills, and whistles.
• These species climb into the upper canopy of trees at night to forage for food.