Yanallpa and El Dorado Rivers
Once again we took advantage of the best time of the day for wildlife watching. At 6:30am we boarded our fleet of skiffs to explore the remote and beautiful Yanallpa River.
The highlight of the morning outing, in addition to the many bird species we saw, was the unusual sighting of a family of owl monkeys (Aotus sp). This neotropical monkey species is also known as night monkey. The body length of adult individuals ranges from 25 to 45cm (8 to 15 inches). These small mammals have a rather comical but adorable expression in their faces. Their rounded big eyes are signals of their nocturnal habits. Of arboreal behavior, night monkeys live in familiar monogamous groups, from two to six individuals, including a reproductive couple and their offspring. As an interesting detail about their natural history, it has been observed that the father is the one that carries the infants on its back during the first months of development. During the day these monkeys sleep inside hole of trees or dead palm trees, generally in flooded forests with dense undergrowth. Studies of the taxonomy of the genus they are classified (Aotus) in are still being carried out; some authors recognize up to three different species in certain areas of the Peruvian Amazon rain forest including the Pacaya Samiria Reserve we are visiting in our expedition. We observed the night monkey family for a long time. For me, as a personal note, this monkey species is one of my favorites; not only are they hard to find but because very little is known throughout the Amazon region about their ecology, distribution, taxonomy, population and natural history.
In the afternoon we had a late visit to “El Dorado” River. We had a delightful skiff ride along this river looking for wildlife. We were successful for we found three species of monkeys, brown capuchins, saddle back tamarins and squirrel monkeys. We spotted a spectacular pair of blue and yellow macaws and many colorful bird species such as wattled jacanas and red capped cardinals among others. On purpose we stayed very late in the river with the intention of spotting wildlife at night. With the aid of a spotlight we found seven three-toed sloths, a Boat billed night heron and a juvenile spectacled caiman!
During dinner we shared our impressions and sightings while having a delicious meal typical of the already world-recognized exquisite Peruvian cuisine.
