The wildlife of Acre

Hiding out in the forest

With its huge numbers and wide variety of birds, mammals and fish, you might expect to see wildlife everywhere you look in Acre.

"But when people come here," says WWF-Project Manager in Acre, Luis Meneses "they're often disappointed because they can't find the animals. This is because the wildlife here hides in the jungles and so you have to travel far into the forests to have a chance of seeing the spider monkeys and the jaguars."

Black-Faced Black Spider Monkey (Ateles paniscus chamek)
The Black-Faced Black Spider Monkey has a long  slim black body with very long arms and legs - and a tail which acts like a fifth limb. In fact, the Spider Monkey can even hang in the trees supported only by its tail.

Spider monkeys come out only when it's dark to feed on fruit and nuts. Using both its long tail and its extremely long limbs, it moves gracefully and acrobatically through the tree-tops, rarely coming down to the ground. They live in social groups of about 20 animals and keep in touch with each other by making a whole range of noises.

"Sadly," says Luis Meneses, "the Black Spider Monkey is highly endangered and we rarely see  them these days. In fact, in many populated areas they have disappeared completely - but in one of our newly designated protection zones, known at the moment as Area 14, there are still a few groups left."

Find out more about the Black Spider Monkey


Black-Chinned Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator)
The Black-Chinned Emperor Tamarin is a tiny monkey with a great big moustache. "You see them even in the cities," says Luis, "and they get used to humans very easily. In fact we're starting a campaign and we've selected this little creature as the flagship species of the south-west Amazon."

Emperor Tamarins are busy little animals which live in trees and eat fruit, insects and birds' eggs. Like Spider Monkeys, Emperor Tamarins live in groups and communicate using lots of shrill squeaks and sounds. The male Emperor Tamarin is a true 'hands-on' father - not only does he wash the young and carry them around on his back, he even assists at the birth!

Pirarucu (Arapaima gigas)
The Pirarucu is an extraordinary creature. It's a fish which breathes air and can measure up to 4 metres in length, making it the largest freshwater fish in the world. "It lives in lakes," says Luis, "and comes out of the water to breathe. It makes this really weird 'sucking' noise as it breathes. It's a bit of an evolutionary curiosity!"

Bright red and very large, the Pirarucu - which literally means 'red fish' - is well-known to the local people as food! Perhaps not surprisingly, this enormous air-breathing fish also features in many local legends.