In this article, you will learn about the behavior, habitat, and other aspects of the Capuchin Monkey. A Central American primate very characteristic for its physical features and survival, which has been studied and recorded as the most intelligent monkey in the New World. I invite you to read it!
Capuchin monkey
The capuchin monkey is a primate from Central and South America.. Belonging to the genus Cebus. Its name comes from the Capuchin Religious of Spain, the hood that these religious wear is similar to the color of the capuchin monkey, being the fur that surrounds the head and neck is white similar to the hood that they wear. It can be easily identified by its appearance. This monkey has been studied many times, since it is usually of great importance for the conservation of the ecosystem. Therefore, when they are caught for studies, when they are released they do it in a group, which is best for them, and thus they do not feel alone.
They are small in stature, about a hundred centimeters tall, have a tail the same size as their body. This tail that helps him jump from one tree to another, winding it around the branches. The neck and head are white. Scientists have studied the capuchin monkey, so they are thought to be highly intelligent among all the new world primates. He is an explorer who likes to find new things, so being locked up they don't get many things of interest.
Young monkeys are usually lighter in color than adults. They can weigh between 2 kilos and 3,9 kilos. His face is rosy, the rest of the body is normally black. It also uses its tail to hold onto tree branches while eating. The capuchin monkey can live quite a long time, so they have found primates of about 54 years of age, which is something very surprising. It feeds on fruits and some insects, on certain occasions it eats meat.
Natural habitat
Their nature is to live in the woods, definitely the jungle is their best home. They choose to live in tropical forests, but they do not inhabit them. They are usually found in forests and lakes. They are expanded from the southern areas of Ecuador to Honduras. They spread throughout the forests. Regarding the condition of their home, in the area where they live it measures between thirty-two and eighty-five hectares, this is based on the food production in the area.
They climb trees and cover various distances daily, because they are surrounded by predators. Therefore they must defend their family from animals and mainly from snakes, which eat their young, the capuchin monkeys take them by the tail, hit them and shake them against the ground until they free their children. The way the capuchin monkey behaves is also remarkable, it has been discovered that it inspects and records. Therefore, he avoids any type of weapon that could serve as a threat against his family.
Food
Their meals are very varied, so the primate always gets food. Fruits are what he mostly eats, it is made up of 65%. It also eats leaves. It is nourished by other substances such as grapes, nuts, almonds, suckers, germs, flowers, tree bark, bugs, spiders, eggs, crustaceans, molluscs. They have been seen eating birds, lizards, small squirrels, so they are definitely carnivores.
Life period
Something curious that you should know is that capuchin monkeys like to have more than one partner. The attributes that he physically possesses are what attracts females. They express themselves with their protruding lips, they sing to attract attention and get their partner, in this way they also communicate with the other members of the group. The pregnancy stage lasts 5 months and 10 days. The calf hangs over the mother's back at the beginning of its life months. After a year they are definitely separated.
They begin their stage of sexual maturity at three years of age. Every year and seven months they reproduce again. They are usually born between the months of April and December. The capuchin monkey in particular is born with a gray color, generally, the characteristic white spots appear after three months. It is easy to distinguish these monkeys, the females usually have an ashy blackened color on their faces.
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Social organization of the Capuchin Monkey
In the groups of primates that are made up of males and females, the curious thing is that there are more females in them, so in their bilateral social condition, they usually live by the bonds they make with members of other groups of monkeys. The females are smaller in stature compared to that of the males, so there is a decline and weakness. So they look for males and females from other groups to strengthen themselves.
Unlike the males, they do not seek to ally themselves with part of the group that are of the same gender. Something very distinctive that capuchin monkeys have is that they are very focused on protecting their group and their partners from those who besiege and attack their lives. The male tends to separate from his group and travel from one place to another, staying alone for a long time, until they join another group. Groups can be made up of a minimum of ten primates and a maximum of twenty.
How it behaves?
The capuchins are active throughout the day, they also live in trees, their feeding habits are what keep the jungle strong. This is due to the propagation of pollen in plants, which spreads it with their physiological waste. The great importance of this animal for nature is so vital because it is responsible for planting trees through its excrement. Since the forests have decreased due to the felling of trees, but with the help of the primate it sustains the environment.
In general, the males prefer to eat on lower branches to try their bites of fruits, bugs and slightly larger animals. While the females eat small animals in the highest parts of the trees. Very often it is possible to visualize cleaning itself of impurities such as parasites and bugs between its hairs, known as allogrooming. The behavior, which has already been mentioned, is done more frequently in times of drought and with the new offspring, because fleas are very manifest.
Types of communication
If purring can be heard on some occasions, it should be taken as a courtesy greeting. They have very complicated expressions, such as when they raise an eyebrow to conquer the female and some very particular songs. These songs are to alert others or perhaps simply to indicate that they are part of a group. One way to show yourself strong in front of others is to jump around, hit things and throw branches away to position yourself.
The capuchin monkey is believed to be one of the most intellectual species in the Americas. They have been studied for behavior and intelligence. The capuchin monkey has adapted to many circumstances. For what is believed that their way of feeding is momentary, it is because it is not so easy for them to get food. The capuchin monkey enters the top of the most intelligent primates in America, followed by the spider monkey.
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