Toppin’s titi monkey – Small New World monkey protected in Tambopata
18 August 2026 (197 visits)In the lowland tropical Amazon rainforest protected by Tambopata National Reserve, where we offer travelers our combination of comfortable lodge stays and immersive jungle trips, at least eight species of South American monkey thrive. Several of these species are sighted regularly by our staff and guests in the treetops around our Tambopata Ecolodge, and deeper in the forest where we guide our guests on excursions.
One of these species is Toppin’s titi monkey (Plecturocebus toppini), which was validated as a separate titi monkey species in 2015, a century after it was first named by Harry Stanley Toppin, an officer in the British Army. Known to local people as the tocón colorado, Toppin’s titi monkey is a small New World primate found in the Amazon rainforests of southeastern Peru, and here in our Tambopata home it has found a safe refuge.
A small species, it is around just 28 cm to 39 cm in length (11 to 16 inches), has a long non-prehensile tail, and is reddish-brown in color. Toppin’s titi monkeys tend to live in small, highly social family groups. Because its preferred habitat is the lower canopy, this is one of the species of monkey that travelers to Tambopata can hope to photograph during their trip. As they roam through the lower canopy, they feed on fruits, flowers, seeds and leaves, and occasionally supplement their diet with insects.
In common with other titi monkey species, Toppin’s titi monkeys form lifelong monogamous relationships, and they have been seen frequently sleeping together with their tails intertwined. They are highly vocal, particularly in the early mornings. Their vocalizations are intended to mark out and protect their small territory from other family groups, and their calls often contribute to the dawn chorus heard by our eco-lodge guests.
