CAPUCHIN MONKEYABOUT US…. Capuce is a French word for a skullcap.

Scientific Name: Cebus Capucinus

Life Span: 15-20 years

We are the New World monkeys of the subfamily Cebinae. Before 2011, our subfamily contained only a single genus, “Cebus”.

But, in 2011 we were split between the gracile capuchins in the genus Cebus and the robust capuchins in the genus Sapajus. We are found in Central America and South America as far south as northern Argentina.

BREEDINGWe apparently breed at any time of year, although in Central America births are more frequent during the dry season.

Gestation takes about six months, and births are usually single.

Individual females give birth at intervals of one to two years, and the young reach maturity in three to four years.

We are Intelligent!

In 2005, experiments were conducted on our ability to use money. After several months of training, the monkeys began exhibiting behaviors considered to reflect understanding of the concept of a medium of exchange that were previously believed to be restricted to humans (such as responding rationally to price shocks).

We are considered the most intelligent New World monkeys and are often used in laboratories. Upon seeing macaws eating palm nuts, cracking them open with their beaks, we can select a few of the ripest fruits, nip off the tip of the fruit and drink down the juice, then seemingly discard the rest of the fruit with the nut inside.

 

Relate well with HUMANSEasily recognized as the "organ grinder" or "greyhound jockey" monkeys, sometimes kept as exotic pets.

Sometimes they plunder fields and crops and are seen as troublesome by nearby human populations.  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.[

A few more FACTS

Capuchins go about in noisy troops consisting of several adults and young. A troop’s home range covers 50–100 hectares (124–247 acres), and individuals travel about 3 km (1.9 miles) per day within the range. Very active during the day, these monkeys sometimes forage with squirrel monkeys, feeding on fruit, other vegetable matter, and small animals. The capuchin diet is quite broad, encompassing over 95 plant species in some areas, but palm fruits are preferred in particular.

THANHK YOU!!!