Common Squirrel Monkey

Facts about Common Squirrel monkey. "Scientific name for Common Squirrel monkey is Saimiri sciureus". Common Squirrel monkey is an undersized New World monkey that belongs to the genus Saimiri of the Cebidae family. The Common Squirrel monkey are native to the humid regions of South America. The Common Squirrel monkey are mostly found in the Amazon River Basin, as well as territories in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, Peru, Venezuela and Paraguay countries. Generally, they prefer to inhabit the middle canopy, but will rarely come to the land or live in the high canopy of trees. They like plants which offer them good cover from birds of prey in the savannah, rainforest, mangroves, or swamps.

Features of Common Squirrel monkey

The Common Squirrel Monkey is a smaller animal and the male monkeys are bigger than the female ones, with the body height between 9 7/8 inches (24.8 cm) to 14 inches (35.5 cm), and with a body weight ranging from 1.7 pounds to 2.4 pounds(0.77 to 1 kg). The Common Squirrel monkey have their body, mostly covered with olive or grey color fur, and their ears, face and throat are white in color. They have a black color mouth, with their back and extremities are covered with yellow-orange color fur. The Common Squirrel monkey have an elongated tail, though not prehensile, it offers them the required balance while they move through the top of the trees.

Once a Common Squirrel Monkey becomes sexually mature, all male monkeys leave from their biological group. Subsequent to leaving, they may turn into solitary, a minor of another group, join another mixed-gender group, or attend a forbearing group of another monkey variety. If they happen to be a peripheral of another cluster, the male Common Squirrel Monkey will decide one group and keep a particular distance away from them at the same time as still attempting to follow the group. These male monkeys are the less governing ones. Some male monkeys will interact with troops of other monkey varieties.

Diet of Common Squirrel monkey

The Common Squirrel Monkey is both insectivorous and frugivorous, preferring to feed on berry-like fruit on tree branches. However, in the captivity, they are fed with fruits, such as apples, grapes, bananas and oranges. They also feed on a mixture of vegetables that comprise celery, lettuce and onions. The Common Squirrel monkeys also seek insects, and little vertebrates, like tree frogs. They will get a greater part of water from the foods they fed, and will also get water from puddles on the ground and holes in trees. When fruits are in short supply, they will drink the nectar.

Behavior of Common Squirrel monkey

The Common Squirrel Monkey variety is polygamous with a multi-female, multi-male group arrangement. Nearly all social interactions in these monkey groups take place within the different age or sex categories, with the separation of categories being between mother-infant classes, adult male classes, and juvenile classes.

The core of the group of the Common Squirrel Monkey variety is composed of the adult female monkeys and their infant. Due to the natural attraction, each category has the mature females, the dissimilar age or sex categories collaborate as a single social group. Although juvenile Common Squirrel monkeys jump and play around a substantial amount during stages of high activity, they usually continue close to the mature females. In terms of the level of attraction of males to the mature females, the stage of the annual reproductive cycle is what decides their distance from the mature females. Generally, interactions between the various age or gender categories are most often directed to mature females.

Some female Common Squirrel Monkey may also leave their biological groups, even though they are inclined to be more philopatric. If female Common Squirrel monkeys leave their biological groups, they accomplish it subsequent to becoming sexually older. Usually, they migrate previous to or right following a mating period. As a result of this, they may end up leaving their group while they are pregnant or with their undeveloped young.

The average lifespan of the Common Squirrel Monkey is 15 years in the wild, whereas in the captive, they can live up to 20 years.