Mammals
Angwantibo
Arctocebus calabarensis · also called golden angwantibo
Moving through the rainforest canopy in near-total silence, an angwantibo closes in on a hairy caterpillar most other predators would avoid entirely, its slow, deliberate approach and specialised taste for chemically defended prey setting it apart from nearly every other small primate.
Overview
The angwantibo, Arctocebus calabarensis, is a slow-moving, insect-eating primate native to rainforest habitat across parts of West and Central Africa. Its specialised diet of chemically defended caterpillars avoided by most other predators, distinctive reduced index finger, and near-silent nocturnal movement make it one of the more ecologically specialised small primates found anywhere in African rainforest.
A taste for what others avoid
By specialising in caterpillars too well-defended for most predators to bother with, the angwantibo has carved out a feeding niche almost entirely its own, a strategy that reduces competition even if it means a diet built around some of the forest’s more challenging prey.
Status
Least Concern, though ongoing deforestation across parts of West and Central Africa has contributed to a decreasing population trend.
Angwantibo: common questions
What makes the angwantibo's diet unusual?
This species specialises in eating hairy, chemically defended caterpillars that most other predators avoid entirely, a dietary niche that reduces competition for food and takes advantage of a prey resource largely left untouched by other insect-eating animals in its rainforest habitat.
How is the angwantibo different from the potto?
This species has a notably small, vestigial index finger on each hand, a feature that helps distinguish it from its close relative the potto, which lacks this same reduction despite both species sharing a similarly slow-moving, nocturnal lifestyle.
Why does the angwantibo move so slowly and quietly?
This species moves through the rainforest canopy with slow, deliberate, near-silent motion, a pace that helps it avoid detection both by potential predators and by the defensive, chemically protected caterpillars it specialises in hunting.
Where does the angwantibo live?
This species is native to rainforest habitat across parts of West and Central Africa, spending nearly all of its time in the forest canopy foraging methodically for its specialised insect diet.