Capuchin monkey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Capuchin |
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| White-headed capuchin (Cebus capucinus) | |
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Cebidae
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Cebinae
Bonaparte, 1831
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Cebus |
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Capuchin monkeys are small to medium-sized monkeys that live in the forests of Central and South America.
Capuchin monkeys are active during the day and generally live and travel through trees.
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Description
Capuchin monkeys are pretty easy to recognize. They have small, round heads, and their most striking feature is their distinctive dark-colored hood or cap on their head.
Their fur is usually a mix of brown, black, and sometimes even a little bit of white or gray. Their tails are long and they can use them like a fifth limb to grab branches and swing through the trees. They're incredibly agile and acrobatic! Adult capuchins can range in size from about 12 to 22 inches (30 to 56 centimeters) long. They typically weigh between 3 and 9 pounds (1.4 and 4 kilograms).
Habitat and lifespan
Capuchin monkeys live in Central America and South America. They make their home in trees, traveling during the day and sleeping in the trees at night.
Capuchins live in groups of 10 to 40 members. Usually these groups are dominated by a single male. The Capuchins in a group will groom each other and vocalize to communicate.
Reproduction
Females bear young every two years following a 160 to 180 day gestation. The young cling to their mother's chest until they are larger, when they move to her back. Adult male capuchins rarely take part in caring for the young. Within four years for females and eight years for males, juveniles become fully mature. In captivity, individual capuchins have reached an age of 45 years, although life expectancy in nature is only 15 to 25 years.
Intelligence
Capuchins are the most intelligent New World monkeys.
When they see macaws eating palm nuts, cracking them open with their beaks, capuchins select a few of the ripest fruits. They nip off the tip of the fruit and drink down the juice, then seemingly discard the rest of the fruit with the nut inside. When these discarded fruits are hardened and brittle, the capuchins gather them up. Then they take them to a large flat boulder where they already have a few stones from a river. They use these stones to crack open the fruit to get to the nut inside. Young capuchins watch this process to learn from the more experienced adults. It may take a capuchin up to 8 years to master this skill.
Relationship with humans
Capuchin monkeys can be recognized as the "organ grinder" or "greyhound jockey" monkeys. Capuchins are sometimes kept as exotic pets. Sometimes they plunder fields and crops and are seen as troublesome by nearby human populations. In some regions they have become rare due to the destruction of their habitat.
They are also used as service animals, sometimes being called "nature's butlers." Some organizations have been training capuchin monkeys to assist quadriplegics as monkey helpers in a manner similar to mobility assistance dogs. After being socialized in a human home as infants, the monkeys undergo extensive training before being placed with a quadriplegic. Around the house, the monkeys help out by doing tasks including microwaving food, washing the quadriplegic's face, and opening drink bottles.
In media
Capuchin monkeys are the most common featured monkeys in the movies Outbreak, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (and its sequels), Zookeeper, and George of the Jungle. Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) on the NBC sitcom Friends had a capuchin monkey named Marcel. Crystal the Monkey is the famous monkey actress.
Food
The capuchins eat not only fruits, nuts, seeds, and buds, but also insects, spiders, birds' eggs, and small vertebrates. Capuchins living near water will also eat crabs and shellfish by cracking their shells with stones.
Interesting facts about capuchin monkeys
- Capuchin monkeys can live for up to 40 years in the wild.
- They have excellent eyesight and hearing, helping them navigate their environment and detect predators.
- The capuchins are highly social animals, living in groups of up to 40 individuals.
- They are incredibly agile and can move through the trees with amazing speed and dexterity.
- Capuchin monkeys use tools to help them find and eat food.
- The tufted capuchin uses tools in a similar way to chimpanzees. It is one of the few examples of primate tool use other than by apes.
- During the mosquito season, they crush millipedes and rub the result on their backs. This acts as a natural insect repellent.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Tufted capuchin (Sapajus apella)
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Crested capuchin (Sapajus robustus)
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See also
In Spanish: Monos capuchinos para niños
