Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey
Oreonax flavicauda (Humboldt, 1812)
CR B1+2abcde, C2a

The yellow-tailed woolly monkey is the largest mammal endemic to Peru, and is found only in a small area only the eastern slopes of the Andes in the northern part of the country. It was discovered in 1802 by the renowned German explorer Alexander von Humboldt, who described it from skins used by Peruvian muleteers as saddle covers. In 1925 and 1926 a total of five skins were collected for the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the British Museum of Natural History in London, but then the species “disappeared” for more than four decades. Then, in 1974 and 1978, Dr. Russell Mittermeier and Dr. Hernando de Macedo-Ruiz (Museum of Natural History, University of San Marcos) led two expeditions that verified the yellow-tailed woolly monkey’s continued existence, collecting skins, skulls and a couple of living animals. The rediscovery spawned a national conservation awareness campaign, exploratory field studies and the creation of several protected areas for this species. Until about 30 years ago, this species’ cloud forest habitat was fairly isolated and had not suffered greatly from habitat conversion or hunting pressure. However, increased levels of both now pose serious threats to the yellow-tailed woolly’s survival. Two protected areas have been established within its range, Rio Abiseo National Park and the Alto Mayo Forest Reserve, and there are proposals for a number of others, including the National Sanctuaries of Cordillera de Colán and Este del Marañon.