By Bret Weinstein
Geographic Range
Central Brazil. Titi monkeys are only found in the Amazon river drainage and around the head-waters of the Orinoco river.
Biogeographic Regions:
neotropical 
(native ); native .
Reproduction
Titi monkeys are monogamous.
Mating systems:
monogamous .
Births occur from December to April. Gestation period is unknown. From birth both males and females take 10 months to reach adult size, although adult dentition is not fully present until at least 15 months.
Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; internal ; viviparous .
Adult males tend to carry infants except when the mother is nursing. Juveniles leave their family group after two to three years.
Parental investment:
pre-fertilization (provisioning, protecting: female); provisioning; protecting (female); female; pre-hatching/birth (provisioning: female, protecting: female); provisioning (female); female; protecting (female); female; pre-weaning/fledging (provisioning: female, protecting: male); provisioning (female); female; protecting (male); male; pre-independence (protecting: male); protecting (male); male; post-independence association with parents; extended period of juvenile learning.
Behavior
Titi monkeys are generally found in low canopy forest, near rivers. They have been observed on the ground in the wild. Family groups are strongly territorial. A family group consists of an adult male and female and their offspring from several seasons. Mean group size is 3.3. Like all neotropical primates (except Aotus), titi monkeys are strongly diurnal. Their daily feeding is always interrupted by a mid-day rest. They typically sleep together in a vine encrusted tree and often return to the same tree night after night. Titi monkeys are considerably more vocal than most other neotropical primates. Their vocalizations are also more complex than those made by most other monkeys. Family members groom each other often, especially during the mid-day rest. Within a family group, a pair of titi monkeys often sit with tails intertwined. Tail-twining is especially common between the adult male and female and takes place whenever two family members are sitting together. This is true whether the monkeys are awake or asleep.
Key behaviors:
arboreal ; diurnal ; motile ; territorial ; social .
Food Habits
Titi monkeys eat large amounts of fruit, including figs. They also eat leaves, insects, eggs and small vertebrates.
Animal Foods:
eggs; insects.
Plant Foods:
leaves; fruit.
Conservation Status
These animals are threatened by the rapid destruction of their habitat. CITES Appendix 2.
For More Information
Find Callicebus moloch information at
Contributors
Bret Weinstein (author), University of Michigan.
