Squirrel Monkey

Quick facts
Getting to Know our Squirrel Monkeys
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Quick facts

Lifespan

21 years in the wild,

27 years under human care

Diet

Mainly fruits and insects

Habitat

Sub-canopy and canopy level

of tropical primary and secondary rainforest

Range

Central and South America

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Getting to Know our Squirrel Monkeys

Amazonian abundance

The most abundant monkey species of the Amazon rainforest, the squirrel monkey forms troops of as many as 300 in the wild. Commonly found near large bodies of water, they lead an arboreal life in the forest canopy.

These opportunistic feeders feast on fruits and leaves when the forests are flooded. In the dry season, they adopt a more insectivorous diet.

Our troop at the Squirrel Monkey Forest is fed carrots, long beans, sweet potatoes, almonds and hazelnuts during token feeding times.

Fat alpha

Squirrel monkeys are sexually dimorphic in a seasonal way. Male squirrel monkeys gain weight during the two months prior to the breeding months from September to November, piling on as much as 30 - 40% of their body weight. Water and fat is stored between the muscle and skin on their head, shoulders, upper arms, and ribs. The larger they appear, the more appealing they are to females. It’s probably for this reason that our dominant male is named Arnold (after Schwarzenegger).

Communication signals

Their coat colour ranges from tawny in warm, dry habitats to reddish-orange, even black in dense forests. Leopards with a black coat are commonly referred to as `black panthers’. Like other leopards, they have a spotted coat although their distinctive black rosette markings are much less visible on a black coat. Leopards in East Africa sport circular rosettes while those in South Africa have squarish ones. Cubs are ash-grey with indistinct rosettes. Solid black spots cover a leopard’s chest, feet, and face. Each leopard has a unique coat pattern.

Quit monkeying around

Our monkeys traverse the Squirrel Monkey Forest with their ‘urine-washed’ hands and feet. They use the railing of the boardwalk as their main passageway, leaving the scent of their urine as they go. Be mindful that the monkeys are extremely territorial, so keep your hands (and scent) to yourself. Observe them from a respectful distance and do not reach out to touch them. Please also refrain from bringing food into the aviary.

Together, we protect wildlife

Monkey business

Squirrel monkeys are popular as pets. Illegal hunting and capture for the pet trade or medical research pose threats to their continued survival in the wild. Do not keep exotic pets and get your pets only from responsible sources.

The IUCN Status

LC Least Concern

EX Extinct

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

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Squirrel Monkey

Quick facts

21 years in the wild,

Mainly fruits and insects

Sub-canopy and canopy level

Central and South America

Getting to Know our Squirrel Monkeys

Amazonian abundance

Fat alpha

Communication signals

Quit monkeying around

Together, we protect wildlife

Monkey business

The IUCN Status

Visit us

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