Capuchin 101

Ok. So are you ready for your first monkey lesson?

This is a white faced capuchin monkey (this particular guy is named Hercules and he's four years old). Their scientific name is Cebus capucinus. They are new world monkeys which means they only live in central and south america. You might recognize this kind of monkey from the 90s sitcom Friends, or from the movie Outbreak starring Dustin Hoffman (Note: the movie Outbreak is about a disease scare that takes place in Africa - so whoever made this movie gets a huge FAIL for using a capuchin). Capuchins have a semi-prehensile tail. This means that they can use their tail like another limb - but unlike the howler and spider monkeys, capuchins usually have to support their weight with a hand or a foot at the same time. (spider and howler tails have one side with no hair on them which makes it easier to grip branches - but capuchin tails are furry all the way around). Only the little baby capuchins can hang from just their tail cause they are small and light. Capuchins live in medium sized groups of about 15-30 monkeys. The groups have multiple males and multiple females and lots of little guys. White faced capuchins are territorial and sometimes when they meet other neighbouring groups - they have big monkey battles. Adult capuchins often sport scars and wounds as a result. (these scars sometimes help us keep track of who is who).

Capuchins mostly eat fruits and bugs. the majority of their day is spent foraging for food throughout their home range. They spend all of their time in the trees - but they live in the lower parts of the forest and sometimes they even come down to the ground. Since I have started monkeyschool, there have been many occasions where the monkeys are close enough for me to reach out and touch. Its really something to be standing in the forest and have monkeys all around you.

When monkeys are angry, they make a "threat face". This involves opening their mouth really wide to show off their sharp teeth. Sometimes the capuchins we are studying make threat faces at each other, and sometimes they do it at us. This female is named Electra and she is the alpha female of the Exclosure group. She was threatening me in this photo because I was really close to her. Sometimes when the monkeys have fights, they will gang up do what is called a "double threat". This involves one monkey jumping on the back of another monkey, putting its head on top of the other's head, and then both making threat faces as a team (I will try to get a better double threat photo soon). This is also a double threat photo that I took - but its way more impressive when they stand on eachother to do it!

Capuchins make all kinds of distinct noises. When they are lost from their group, they do a loud call that carries really far. When the group hears it, they call back and help the monkey find its way back to them. They also have specific alarm calls for when they see predators like snakes, birds, and terrestrial mammals. The PHD student is good at recognizing the alarm calls but I am still learning to tell them apart. They are usually aware of things like snakes before we can see them - so it is handy to know what their alarms mean. When young capuchins are close to big males, they make something that is called a "gargle". The function of the gargle is not yet known - some people think that they do it because they are nervous around the males and some thing they do it to test their bonds with them. Its a cute little noise and when you hear it - you can always tell a male is close by.

My favorite noise so far is the "food peep". These are the little "nom nom nom" sounds that monkeys make when they are eating. They sound so happy and it is just so so cute!! To the left is a crappy video I took the other day. The monkey in it is the alpha male of the CP group. His name is Legolas (I think this is a fruity name for a big bruiser of a monkey, but whatevs). The video isn't anything special (i think he is just eating), but listen close cause you can hear everybody around him making food peeps. Cute huh?! When I took this, we were all stopped for lunch under a tree with ton of fruit. After their lunch they all had a nap.

Here are a few more monkey pics that I took! If you look closely at the one on the top right you can see monkey balls! Capuchin balls aren't that exciting - they are black and kind of hide in their fur. What I really need is a photo of howler monkey balls. Man - those things dangle.

Also, the monkeys below aren't part of the group I am studying so I don't know all of their names. I will introduce you to the ones I learn as I go.

Hope you enjoyed your lesson!
Peep, peep,
Love Day