Black-capped capuchin monkey

Description

They are small brown primates with black tufts on each side of the head and in front of the ears. The limbs are a darker colour as is the end of the tail. They jump from branch to branch, using all four limbs, and although the tail is prehensile, they do not use it to move along, only to eat or brake a fall. 

Behaviour

They are very sociable and have diurnal habits. They live in groups of up to 15 individuals, led by a dominant male who mates with several females. They are very active and restless and they are constantly screaming, even when they are not particularly disturbed for any reason. The females have a single infant after a gestation period of 150 days, which remains with its mother for at least 18 months.

Interesting facts

Their main threats are habitat fragmentation and illegal trafficking of exotic species for use as pets or in experiments. They are often found as pets, although their aggressive nature doesn’t make them very popular. They currently breed in numerous protected areas and this has resulted in growing population trends.