Golden potto  (Arctocebus aureus)

Range

The golden potto has a widespread but patchy distribution in the tropical forests of West Africa, in Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Central African Republic (1) (4).

View a distribution map for this species at UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Habitat

The golden potto inhabits moist evergreen, lowland forest, preferring areas with fallen trees or young secondary growth. It is generally found in the understorey, below five metres, and may also venture onto the forest floor in search of food. It avoids climbing higher than about 15 metres, where the risk of predation, competition with birds, and exposure to wind and sun is higher, and also avoids climbing larger branches which its small, narrow hands and feet are not suited to grasping (4).

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