Tufted Capuchins

 

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Scientific name:  Sapajus apella

Conservation status: leastconcern

Life expectancy: 15-25 years in the wild but up to 45 in captivity.

Gestation period: 180 days

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Lifestyle and Location:

  • A new world monkey located in northern-South America, especially near the Amazon Basin.
  • They are omnivorous, mostly feeding on fruit and invertebrates but also known to feed on lizards and bird chicks.
  • Their main predators are  birds of prey, they are very frightened of those birds that even when a harmless bird flies over they become very agitated.
  • They live in groups around 8-15 animals with a dominant male.

Appearance:

The tufted capuchin weighs between 1.9-4.8 kg and has a body of 32-57 cm and a tail that is 38-56cm. (males are usually a little bit larger than the female).  This is one of the stronger species of capuchin with rougher fur and a long, thick tail that can be used to hang off branches. The tuft on the top of its head is slightly hardened. Their fur is brownish-grey with a belly of a slightly lighter colour. Both the hands and the feet are black.

Joss‘s Facts

  • They one of the primates that are smart enough to use tools and make things. They have been seen to make containers for water and using sticks to dig nuts or to catch ants and using stones as a hammer and chisel to penetrate a tree and also using stones as a hammer and anvil to crack nuts.
  • They look for food in groups, something that is unique from other species.
  • They are arboreal but often go down to the ground when a tree is too far away to jump or to forage for food.