Squirrel monkeys are found in South and Central America in countries such as Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, French Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Paraguay, and Venezuela. They like rainforests and can learn to adapt to different kinds of rainforests.
Squirrel monkeys are found in South and Central America in countries such as Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, French Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Paraguay, and Venezuela. They like rainforests and can learn to adapt to different kinds of rainforests. This species prefers to live in the middle canopy because it provides natural cover from predators like the eagle, but they will occasionally come to the ground or go up into the higher canopy to get food.
Squirrel monkeys are about the size of, well, a squirrel. Their size can range anywhere from 10- to 14-inches and they weigh only 500- to 1100 grams. The males are generally larger and have bigger canine teeth than the females.
Squirrel monkeys, are frugivores and insectivores. This means that they eat a lot of berry-like fruit from branches as well as some molluscs and, occasionally, a few small vertebrates, like tree frogs. They obtain the majority of their necessary water from the food that they eat, holes in trees and puddles on the ground.
The males are usually the more dominant animals in most species, but this is not true for the squirrel monkey and the females are frequently trying to prove their dominance. Like many other species, the dominant gender must prove that dominance (ie. colours, feathers, fur, etc.). The female squirrel monkeys have pseudo-male genitalia that they use to display their dominance over smaller monkeys.
Social groups are generally centered on the females and her young, rather than the males. Squirrel monkey groups are subdivided into three different bands: the adult male band, the mother-infant bands, and the juvenile band. Although the males generally don’t help out with the raising of any of their offspring, the mother-infant bands still form the core of the group and, oftentimes, other mother monkeys will help care for the new babies when necessary. It’s almost like a monkey-sitter.
It was originally believed that the squirrel monkeys found in Central America had been moved there by humans. Recent studies have shown, though, that the Central American squirrel monkeys are actually a different sub-species of squirrel monkey and have resided there for years without any human involvement.
An unusual fact about the squirrel monkeys is that their black-and-white faces have earned them the name “death’s head monkey” in many languages, like German and Dutch.
Squirrel monkeys are definitely unusual little creatures. From their physical appearances, to their personalities, these little guys would definitely stand out in a crowd of animals.
