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| Latin name | Saimiri sciureus |
| Head & Body Length | Up to 12.5 inches (31cm) |
| Tail Length | 16 inches (40cm) |
| Weight | 950g male, 650g female |
| Gestation | 152-172 days |
| No. of young | 1 |
| Lifespan | up to 10 years in the wild, up to 20 years in captivity |
Squirrel Monkeys are found in the wild in the tropical rainforests of the Amazon Basin lands such as Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia and Guyana. They may also be found in Panama and Costa Rica. They live in the canopy layer of the forest.
90% of Squirrel Monkey’s diet is made up of soft fruits. They may also eat nuts, berries, flowers, buds, seeds, leaves and gum. They will occasionally snack on insects, small birds and reptiles. They will find food by foraging in the canopy but will go no higher than 30m up, as they are vulnerable to birds of prey at this height.
Females reach sexual maturity at two and a half years of age whereas males do not mature until they are four. In the wild, births occur during the wet season which is February to April but in captivity birth can occur at any time. During the breeding season, males may have spectacular fights that will leave the loser injured or weakened. Females will mate with several males during the time they are able to conceive. During this time, males achieve the ‘fattened male condition’, almost doubling in their body weight.
Most births take place at night and labour takes about 88 to 165 minutes. A single baby is born and babies will cling to the backs of their mother from birth. Males play no part in raising the young but females with no young will. Babies will start suckling soon after the birth and will take solid food after about twenty days. Infants are completely weaned after five months. Mothers will constantly carry babies on their back until babies are about five weeks old when they will start to move around on their own. Mothers will continue to carry them intermittently until the babies are about five months old.
Squirrel Monkeys are so called because of their small size. They have short dense fur. Their faces are pink with black around their mouths and noses. Their heads are grey to black with white tufts of fur on their ears. They have greysh yellow backs with white underparts. Their forearms, hands and feet are yellow orange.
Squirrel Monkeys posses a tail which is longer than their body. The main function of this tail is to help them keep their balance. Unlike every other type of New World monkey, their tail is not prehensile. They have short thighs and relatively long forelegs, allowing more force to be delivered when they jump.
Squirrel Monkeys have extremely dextrous hands, enabling them to clamber through the trees, investigate food and find hidden insects. They also have short, well-developed thumbs.
Like other primates, Squirrel Monkeys have a wide range of calls. Their vocalizations range from twittering and purring to cawing and shrieking. event of a fight.
Squirrel Monkeys are very active during the day and constantly move through the tree searching for food. They spend less than 1% of their time on the ground.
Squirrel Monkeys live in groups of anything from thirty to one hundred individuals. These troops consist of about twelve reproductive females and several adult males. Living in large groups in this way can be very advantageous, as there are many pairs of ears and eyes, thus lowering the chances of a sneak attack by predators. Large groups also make it difficult for larger monkeys to chase them out of trees and provides many eyes to search for food.
Squirrel Monkeys are the most abundant and least threatened primate in Brazilian Amazonia. However their number are declining due to deforestation and being hunted and captured for medical research, food and the pet trade. Because of the rate of habitat destruction, it has been suggested that the Amazon Valley could eventually become treeless. This would spell major problems for not only Squirrel Monkeys but for many other species as well.
- Squirrel Monkeys mark their territory. They will do this by soaking their bodies, especially their tails, in their own urine.
- When a male Squirrel Monkey wants to assume a commanding attitude towards the other members of its group, it will stand up and display its genitalia.
- Squirrel Monkeys associate with other species of monkey with similar food preferences and will follow them to foraging areas.