Latest update November 13th, 2024 1:00 AM
The Titis
A baby Titis
The titis, or titi monkeys, are the New World monkeys of the genus Callicebus. They are the only extant member of the Callicebinae subfamily, which also contains the extinct genera Xenothrix, Antillothrix, Paralouatta, Carlocebus, Homunculus, Lagonimico and possibly also Tremacebus. Titis live in South America, from Colombia to Brazil, Peru and north Paraguay.
Depending on species, titis have a head and body length of 23-46 centimetres (cm) (9-18 inches), and a tail, which is longer than the head and body, of 26-56 cm (10-22 in). The different titi species vary substantially in colouring, but resemble each other in most other physical ways. The fur is long and soft, and it is usually reddish, brownish, greyish or blackish, and in most species the underside is lighter or more rufescent than the upperside. Some species have contrasting blackish or whitish foreheads, while all members of the subgenus Torquatus have a white half-collar. The tail is always furry and is not prehensile.
Diurnal and arboreal, titis predominantly prefer dense forests near water. They easily jump from branch to branch, earning them their German name, Springaffen (jumping monkeys). They sleep at night, but also take a midday nap. Titis are territorial. They live in family groups that consist of parents and their offspring, about two to seven animals in total. They defend their territory by shouting and chasing off intruders, but rarely engage in actual fighting. Their grooming and communication is important for the co-operation of the group. They can typically be seen in pairs sitting or sleeping with tails entwined.
The diet of the titis consists mainly of fruits, although they also eat leaves, flowers, insects, bird eggs and small vertebrates.
Titis are monogamous, mating for life. The female bears a single young after about a five-month gestation. Twins occur rarely, having been documented in only 1.4 percent of all births in captive groups of C. moloch. While the second infant usually does not survive, cases where neighbouring groups have adopted infants are known, suggesting that twins may be reared successfully under certain circumstances.
Often it is the father who cares for the young, carrying it and bringing it to the mother only for nursing. The young are weaned after five months and are fully grown after two years. After three or more years, they leave their family group in order to find a mate. While the life expectancy of most species is unclear, the members of the subgenus Torquatus may live for up to 12 years in the wild, while members of the C. moloch group have been known to live for more than 25 years in captivity.
The number of known species of titis has doubled in recent years, with three, C. stephennashi, C. bernhardi, and C. aureipalatii, being described from the Amazon basin since 2000. Furthermore, the most recent review uses the phylogenetic species concept (thereby not recognising the concept of subspecies) rather than the ‘traditional’ biological species concept. The classification presented here is therefore very different from the classifications used 20 years ago.
The naming rights to a recently discovered species, based on appearance part of the C. cupreus group, were auctioned off (with the funds going to a non-profit organization), and the winner was the online casino GoldenPalace.com, as reflected in both the common and scientific name of C. aureipalatii. While this typically is a highly unusual event in scientific classification, the possibility of naming a species of titi in exchange for a sizable donation to a non-profit foundation was also presented a few years before, resulting in C. bernhardi being named after Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.
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