1.
The difference between the 2014-2016 list and the previous list is that the 2014-2016 list
has not contain 8 species that were present in the previous list. The changes on the list
were made with the purpose of making other species more well-known in order to
increase their future chances of survival.
2.
Northern Brown Howler Alouatta guariba
Description and behavior
Brown howling monkeys have brown coats, though the color may vary from brown to dark red
or black. The hair is lighter and sparser on the belly, and the face and ears are dark and
bare (2). Like other howlers, they have large stocky frames. The males are considerably larger
than the females. Their tails are long and prehensile, and lack fur on the underside near the tip.
Like other howler monkeys, are best known for their impressive howls, which can be heard for
over 1.6 km. (2)
Unlike other howlers, this species does not give a dawn chorus and seems to reserve most of its
howling for inter-group encounters (5). These loud calls therefore play a role in avoiding
conflict between groups and thus in saving energy which can be better used for foraging and
digestion (2)
Brown howling monkeys feed mainly on leaves, flowers and fruit, though the composition of
their diet varies according to the season and their location in the forest (6).
Location
Found in south-eastern Brazil and north-eastern Argentina in South America, and
possibly in parts of Uruguay and Bolivia as well (3).
Threats
The species’ populations are extremely fragmented and reduced due to habitat
destruction and development in the coastal forests of south-eastern Brazil and north-
eastern Argentina (1) (3). Unlike many other primates, members of this genus are
actually better able to survive in small isolated parts of the forest because they do not
require large home ranges. (1) (5)
Conservation
Brown howling monkeys benefit from habitat protection in at least 10 different
protected areas in Brazil (3). Conservation International has provided technical and
financial assistance, as well as training and equipment, and is now working with local
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), government officials and private
landowners to protect more forest fragments and link them into conservation corridors
in this part of the state of Minas Gerais forest zone (7).
Lac Alaotra Bamboo Lemur Hapalemur alaotrensis
Description and behavior
The Alaotran gentle lemur has a woolly, dense, dark-grey coat, with a chestnut tinge on the
crown (3). The head is rounded, the muzzle blunt and the ears are short (5). The grasping
hands and feet and long tail used for balance, allow this lemur to walk along the reed stalks of
its lakeside habitat (3).
Alaotran gentle lemurs are active during the day and night with peaks of activity at dawn and
dusk. Unlike other lemurs, members of this species walk on all fours along the reed stalks of
their habitat, bending one stalk until it allows them to reach the next. However, they can also
use the clinging-and-leaping locomotion more typical of this group of primates (3)
Location
Endemic to Madagascar and found only in and around the largest lake of the island (6);
Lac Alaotra, situated in central-eastern Madagascar (1). Today the Alaotran gentle
lemur inhabits one of the most restricted ranges of any lemur species, and is found
mainly in the southwest corner of the lake, although a tiny, isolated population also
persists on the northern shore (3).
Threats
The Alaotran gentle lemur is extremely threatened due to its highly restricted range
and specialized habitat. The area around Lac Alaotra is the largest area in
Madagascar developed for rice cultivation and vast areas of the reed bed habitat have
been burned and drained (1) to make way for paddy fields (6). In addition, reeds are
themselves harvested for products such as mats, fish traps, screens and fencing (6).
The species is also under pressure from hunting both for food and for the pet trade (6);
deliberate fires are sometimes lit to force fleeing lemurs into the path of hunters (3).
Conservation
Lac Alaotra was declared a Ramsar site in 2003, with the aim of conserving biodiversity and
the wetland ecosystem, and there are also plans to create a strict conservation area covering the
site. Public awareness campaigns have focused on the benefits of habitat conservation to the
people living around the lake, and a regional fishing convention bans lemur hunting and marsh
burning (1). The Alaotran gentle lemur is protected from international trade by its listing on
Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (4).
There are currently small captive breeding programmers in several institutions, including at the
Durrell Conservation Trust in Jersey (1) (2) (7).
Sumatran Orangutan Pongo abelii
Description and behavior
Orangutans have distinctive body shapes with very long arms that may stretch as far as two
metres. They have a coarse, shaggy reddish coat (6) and grasping hands and feet (2).
Orangutans are highly sexually dimorphic, with adult males being distinguished by their size,
throat pouch and flanges either side of the face, known as cheek pads
orangutans move slowly through the trees, and will sway trees in order to cross larger gaps (7).
Nights are spent in nests built high up in the canopy, constructed from branches and leaves (6).
Because of increased availability, the diet of Sumatran orangutans has a higher percentage of
pulpy fruit and figs compared to that of Bornean orangutans (7). Orangutans are highly
intelligent and some populations in Sumatra have learnt to use tools, passing this knowledge on
through generations.
Location
The Sumatran orangutan is found only in the north of this island in the Indonesian
archipelago (5).
Threats
Orangutans were hunted relentlessly throughout the majority of their South East Asian range,
their large size and slow movements making them easy targets for hunters (8). However, the
main threat to orangutans today is loss of habitat (7). In the past twenty years 80 percent of
orangutan habitat has been lost to illegal logging, gold mining and conversion to permanent
agriculture, in particular, palm oil plantations.
Conservation
The Sumatran orangutan is fully protected by law in Indonesia and is listed on Appendix I of
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which bans
international trade in this species. The key to saving this species is protecting tracts of
unexploited forest that are interconnected and contain sufficient habitat (8).
Rondo Dwarf Galago Galagoides rondoensis
Description and behavior
Weighing approximately 60 g, this is the smallest of all galago species (Perkin et al. 2013). It is
distinct from other dwarf galagos in its diminutive size, a bottle- brush-shaped tail, its
reproductive anatomy, and its distinctive “double unit rolling call” (Perkin and Honess 2013).
Rondo dwarf galagos have a mixed diet of insects and fruit, or in feed close to the ground, and
move by vertical clinging and leaping in the shrubby understorey. they build daytime sleeping
nests, which are often in the canopy (Bearder et al. 2003). As with many small primates, G.
rondoensis is probably subject to predation by owls and other nocturnal predators.
Location
Current knowledge indicates that this species occurs in two distinct areas, one in southwest
Tanzania near the coastal towns of Lindi and Mtwara, the other approximately 400 km further
north, above the Ru ji River, in pockets of forest around Dar es Salaam. One further population
occurs in Sadaani National Park, approximately 100 km north of Dar es Salaam. (Bearder et al.
2003)
Threats
The major threat facing this species is loss of habitat. All sites are subject to some level of
agricultural encroachment, charcoal manufacture and/or logging.
Conservation
Conservation action is urgently needed by: monitoring rates of habitat loss, surveying new areas
for remnant populations, estimating population size, reassessing the phylogenetic relationships of
the sub-populations and increase awareness.
3. One major threat regarding not only primates, but biodiversity in general is the process of
deforestation, which consists on the irreversible destruction of forests in order to make
the land available for other uses. As a consequence, this process impacts directly in the
loss of many species, because these species lose their habitat. Also, illegal wildlife trade
is a relevant conservation issue because this activity consists on selling animal and plants
as resources, which can cause overexploitation, resulting in extinctions or a significant
decrease in the population of a specie. Climate change and pollution are threats to the
biodiversity, because both processes have a negative impact on the habitats of many
species by forcing these species to adjust to a new situation, and change their habits.
However, many species cannot adjust successfully to these changes, resulting in a
decrease in the population of these species.
While, I do not participate in deforestation and illegal wildlife trade, I unfortunately
contribute to the processes of climate change and pollution, by recycling and being more
hygienic, and not participating in things that I know will affect climate and pollution.
References
Orangutan
(2)Macdonald, D. (2001) The New Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University Press,
Oxford. CITES (July, 2002)
(5) Burnie, D. (2001) Animal. Dorling Kindersley, London.
(6)Animal Diversity Web (July, 2002)
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/pongo/p._pygmaeus$narrative.html
(7)Lorenz, M. (2004) Pers. comm.
(8) Yarrow Robertson, J.M. and van Schaik, C.P. (2001) Causal factors underlying the
dramatic decline of the Sumatran orang-utan. Oryx, 35: 26 - 38.
http://www.arkive.org/sumatran-orangutan/pongo-abelii/
Brown howley monkey
1. Macdonald, D. (2001) The New Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
2. Richardson, M. (2005) Pers. comm.
5. Chiarello, A. (1995) Role of Loud Calls in Brown Howlers, Alouatta guariba. American
Journal of Primatology, 35: 213 - 222.
6. Animal diversity (January, 2004)
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/alouatta/a._fusca$narrative.html
7. Conservation International (January, 2004)
http://www.conservation.org/xp/frontlines/2003/fall/features/parkprofiles/parkprofile7.xml
http://www.arkive.org/brown-howling-monkey/alouatta-guariba/
Lac Alaotra Bamboo Lemur
1. IUCN Red List (May, 2009)
http://www.iucnredlist.org
2. Richardson, M. (2006) Pers. comm.
3. Garbutt, N. (1999) Mammals of Madagascar. Pica Press, Sussex.
4. CITES (July, 2002)
http://www.cites.org
5. Burnie, D. (2001) Animal. Dorling Kindersley, London.
6. Duke University (July, 2002)
http://lemur.duke.edu/conservation/
http://www.arkive.org/alaotran-gentle-lemur/hapalemur-alaotrensis/
7. Durrell Conservation Trust (July, 2002)
http://www.durrell.org/
