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Frosty,
the dominant Black-capped Capuchin, rescued
and living happily at Wild Futures, UK.
Did you know that Capuchins have the highest
brain to body weight ratio of all primates
(including you?)
During my research into stereotypic
behavior in ex-pet primates for my masters I
chose to work with Capuchin monkeys. Before
this I knew little about these very special
primates. After working with them I can
surely say they are one of my favorite of
all animal species. Capuchins are extremely
active, social and highly intelligent
animals. I hope you enjoy reading this blog
about them as much as I enjoyed writing it.
This blog is dedicated to Joey at Wild
Futures, a very special Capuchin.
Capuchin monkeys (genus Cebus) are
distributed in Central and South America. Etymology
of the name Cebus historically comes from 15th
century explorers who, once seeing the
peculiar small bodied primates, named them
after a group of friars, the Capuchins. The
word Cebus in Greek means long-tailed
monkey.
The genus Cebus comprises of many
species and sub-species. For the purposes of
this blog I list only the main
(uncontroversial) sub-species.
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Table 1. Genus Capuchinus
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Latin Name |
Common Name |
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Cebus Capucinus group: |
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C. albifrons |
White Fronted Capuchin |
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C. capucinus |
White Faced Capuchin |
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C. kaapori |
Kaapori Capuchin |
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C. olivaceous |
Weeper Capuchin |
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Cebus Apeela group: |
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C. apella |
Black Capped Capuchin |
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C. flavius |
Blond Capuchin |
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C. libidinosus |
Black Striped Capuchin |
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C. nigritus |
Black Capuchin |
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C. xanthostemos |
Golden Bellied Capuchin
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Capuchin monkeys are primarily
arboreal and
diurnal species.
Their diets are
omnivorous as they exploit a variety
of food sources including: eggs, small
vertebrates, seeds, fruits, vegetation, etc.
Capuchins live in social groups between 5-30
individuals. This social grouping is
typically uni-male multi-female (UM-MF).
The lifespan of a Capuchin in the wild is up
to 25 years, while those in captivity can
live much longer (see photo of
Mrs. Spock, below). These
monkeys are the most intelligent of all the
New World monkeys. They have been observed
to use tools in the wild and have even
passed the self-awareness mirror test.
 Threats to these little monkeys, like most wildlife, are
due to habitat loss and degradation. In
addition, the trade in Capuchin monkeys
poses a serious threat to their survival in
the wild. Trade of Capuchin monkeys is
primarily for the pet-trades. Many
individuals are captive bred while others
are caught from the wild.
Serious welfare implications arise in
the keeping of non-human primates as
pets. Primates that are kept as pets are
most often deprived in physical and social
conditions compromising their welfare. It is
extremely difficult to meet the physical and
psychological needs for pet primates as they
are living without their
conspecifics. Primates
sold in the pet trade may be maternally
deprived as they are prematurely separated
both behaviorally and nutritionally from
their mothers. Mothering and
allomothering
is vital to the social development in this
genus.
Take Action
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Primates don’t make good pets, primates
belong in the wild. Be sure to spread
the word.
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Is it legal to have non-human primates
as pets in your state? If so, perhaps
write a letter to your local congress on
your concerns about primate pet welfare.
What does that mean?
Etymology:
The derivation or history or a word
Arboreal:
A form of moving from one place to another
in the trees.
Diurnal:
A lifestyle of animals that is active in the
day. Opposite of nocturnal, being active in
the night.
Omnivorous:
Eating both animal and plant foods.
Conspecifics:
Belonging to the same species.
Allomothering:
Is non-maternal infant
care by other individuals in the family or
group.
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