5/30/2023 0 Comments Squirrel monkey![]() They spend several hours at the beginning of the day collecting fruit and then continue throughout the forest to find spiders and other insects to eat. Squirrel monkeys are omnivores, with a diet consisting mainly of fruit, insects, flowers and nectar. They live mainly in the middle layers of the forest canopy but can be found on the ground or in the upper canopy layers. The squirrel monkey inhabits the tropical rainforests of South America. Males are mature at the age of 4 and females at the age of 2.5. The young are weaned at 8 to10 months and are almost totally independent of the mother at the end of their first year fathers do not help in raising the young. Other females in the group or “Aunts” often help with the raising of young squirrel monkeys. The infant will cling to the mothers back for 5 to 10 weeks. Young are born at the time of greatest rainfall in the year, this is when food is most plentiful. Squirrel monkeys are diurnal which means they are active and search for food during the day, often running through the forest on branches.Ī female will give birth to only one offspring after a 5-month gestation period. Separate groups of squirrel monkeys are not territorial but tend to mutually avoid one another. Females exhibit displays of dominance in the group and form the core of the unit. Squirrel monkeys have very complex social relationships because of the large groups that they live in which can reach up to 300 individuals. Squirrel monkeys can live up to 20 years in captivity but usually live 10 to 12 years in the wild. The male’s canine teeth are longer than the females. Squirrel monkeys have large canine teeth that they use for eating and asserting dominance. The males weigh between 0.75 to 1.0 kg (1.7 to 2.2 pounds) and are larger than the females who weigh between 0.5 to 0.75 kg (1.1 to 1.7 pounds). Their non-prehensile tail is about 45 cm long (17.7 inches). The squirrel monkey is the smallest of the Cebidae primate family with a body that is on average 33 cm long (13 inches) with a slender build. It has characteristically bright yellow legs and a white face with a black forehead and muzzle. The squirrel monkey has a short coat of fur that is grey to olive in colour.
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