Capuchin Monkey
Cebus apella
Classification
- Domain Eukarya- This domain contains organisms whose cells have a nucleus. They can be single-celled or multicellular, and also is the category where every animal is in.
- Kingdom Animalia- All are multicellular, heterotrophs, and have the ability to move at some point in life.
- Phylum Chordata- has bilateral symmetry, are organisms that posses a structure, has a segmented body and segmented muscles.
- Subphylum Vertebrata- vertebrates, which include fishes, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals, all share a vertebral column, from head to tail and form the main skeletal axis of the body.
- Class Mammalia- 5000 species placed in 26 orders, 3 middle ear bones, hair, production of milk by mammary glands, vast diversity of forms in it.
- Order Primates-ancient and diverse Eutherian group, 233 living species in 13 families, they dwell in tropical forests, primitive characteristics of the skull, teeth, and limbs.
- Family Cebidae- 56 species of cebidae in 5 genera and 3 subfamilies, and they are found in forested habitats in tropical and sub-tropical areas found in dense, evergreen tropical forests to dry forests.
- Cebus- this genus is only for Capuchin Monkeys.
- Species- Cebus apella
General Description
- Weight- In average, 3-9 pounds, about 4.9 kilograms.
- Length- In average, 1-2 feet including tail.
- Color- Light brown to mustard yellow to black, and there is no difference between male and female, and young and adult monkeys except the young has a whiter belly, the hands, feet, and tail are either black or dark brown.
- Natural Range- found east of the Andes from Colombia and Venezuela to Paraguay and northern Argentina.
- Diet- they are omnivores, and the animal foods they eat are birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, eggs, carrion, insects, terrestrial non-insect arthropods, and the plant foods they eat are leaves, roots and tubers wood, bark, or stems seeds, grains, nuts, fruit, and flowers.
- Habitat Description- Inhabits moist subtropical or tropical forests, but has also been seen in dry forest, gallery forest, disturbed and secondary forest.In northwest Argentina they live in montage forest at an elevation of 200 to 1100m. Habitat regions are tropical, terrestrial biomes, and rainforest mountains.
- Predators- Hawks and eagles are the two of the most significant predators of the Capuchin Monkey's species.
Capuchin Monkey's Family
This picture shows how the mother and father of a baby teach and help them grow, and how they behave with each other.
Capuchin Monkey Map
This picture shows how Capuchin Monkeys are mostly found in Northern South America.
Capuchin Monkey Eating
This picture shows how the Capuchin Monkeys eat and what they eat which is bananas and more.
Physical Adaptations
- The tail is long and prehensile, and Cebus Apella (Capuchin Monkey) is the only species of Capuchin monkey known to carry its tail in a tight coil- It helps them keep balance and move quick and swiftly.
- There is a patch of coarse black fur on the crown of the head, sometimes referred to as a cap- Helps them keep protection from the sun or anything that can protect their head.
- Brown Capuchin monkeys have a deep lower jaw and large jaw muscles- to accommodate a diet of large fruits and rough vegetation.
- The shoulders and underbelly are lighter than the rest of the body- For camouflage and color.
Behavioral Adaptations
- Juvenile males leave the group at sexual maturity and seek out new groups in which to mate. The core members of a group are, therefore, the females who typically spend their entire lives in the same group.
- The group is lead by a dominant male, who is most active in protecting the group from predators and other groups of monkeys. If another group comes into his home range, the dominant male leads the attack to drive the other group away.
- Most aggression taking place within the group stems from competition for food
- They get attracted to females or males to have sexual maturity.
- The mother carries children on their backs if crossing big trees and other things, and the children cling to their mother's stomach to not let go while their mother swings fastly through trees.
Fun Facts/General Information
- These animals are also popular pets in many parts of the world.
- Squirrel monkeys follow brown Capuchin monkeys to new food sources, which saves them foraging time.
- There are no known negative affects of the Capuchin monkeys on humans.
- Brown Capuchin monkeys move from tree to tree, ripping apart vegetation and cracking open nuts against branches.