 Squirrel
Monkey | The Squirrel Monkey Is The First
Primate In Outer Space In 1959 (Before Man Ever
Traveled outward.) They are very intelligent
little monkeys. |
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The Squirrel Monkey
| Lifespan: |
15-25
years |
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| Length: |
Head + Body : up to 12.5 inches (31 cm) Tail
: 16 inches (40 cm) |
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| Weight: |
appr 33.3 ounces (950g) for males
appr
22.8 ounces (650g) for
females |
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HRL: 10-14 inches (26-36 cm). TL: 14-17 inches
(35-42.5 cm). Weight: 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 pounds (.75-1.1 kg).
Males are larger than females. Pelage short, thick,
soft, and brightly colored. Skin on lips and around
nostrils is black and almost devoid of hair. Most common
coloration is white around eyes, ears, throat, and on
sides of neck. Top of head is black to grayish, back
forearms, hands, and feet are reddish or yellow with
shoulders and hind feet suffused with gray. Thumb is
short but well developed. Underparts whitish to
yellowish, tail bicolored with black tip. Tail is only
partially prehensile.
II. GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE AND HABITAT:
Northern South America to Peru,
Bolivia, Paraguay, and Brazil. Lives in virgin and
secondary forests and in cultivated areas, usually along
rivers and streams
A Squirrel Monkey For Sale for only
18.95 in an advertisement in the back of a comic book.
Squirrel Monkey's are true comedians.
III. DIET:
Insects, spiders, bird eggs, young birds,
fruit and nuts. Zoo diet is usually vegetables,
fruit, and monkey chow.
IV. LIFE CYCLE/SOCIAL
STRUCTURE:
Diurnal. Can move almost silently through the
upper canopy. Usually quiet but utters loud cries
when alarmed. Arboreal although occasionally
descends to ground. Associate in bands of 12-100.
Squirrel monkey groups are subdivided into adult
male bands, mother-infant bands, and juvenile
bands. Adult females with their young form the
core of the group. Adult males intermingle with
the females only during the several months of
mating season. Single young born after 6 months
gestation. Mother is not particularly attentive.
Females mature at age 2 1/2; males at 4-5 years.
Life span is 15 years.
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V. SPECIAL ADAPTATIONS:
Squirrel monkeys move through
the trees by leaping. They have thighs that are
shorter relative to their lower legs; this allows
more jumping force. They distribute a musky
glandular secretion throughout their fur
(especially on tail) as scent to mark territory or
to leave a trail for others of the troop to follow
as they go through the trees. This odor turns away
hunters who might otherwise kill them for food.
Squirrel monkeys find safety in
numbers by feeding in large groups that are too
great for the larger monkeys to chase from the
trees.
VI. STATUS IN WILD:
Squirrel Monkeys Are The Most common monkey in
South America. They have been extensively used for
biomedical research in the past. Trade is now
regulated, but they are used locally for food,
bait and pets.
VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. MacDonald, David. 1987. Encyclopedia of
Mammals. Equinox, Oxford.
2. Novak, Ronald and
Paradiso, John. 1983. Walker's Mammals of the
World, 4th Ed, Vol. I, Johns Hopkins University
Press, Baltimore, MD.
3. Docent information
sheets.
EC:7/93
AC: added info on 10/14/04
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Pet Squirrel Monkeys For
Sale
