The capuchins are the group of New World monkeys classified as genus Cebus. Their name comes from their coloration, which resembles the cowls worn by the Franciscan Capuchin order of Catholic friars. Cebus is the only genus in subfamily Cebinae.

The range of the capuchin monkeys includes Central America (Honduras) and middle South America (middle Brazil, eastern Peru, Paraguay).

Capuchins generally resemble the friars of their namesake. Their body, arms, legs and tail are all darkly (black or brown) colored, while the face, throat and chest are white colored, and their heads have a black cap. They reach a length of 30 to 56 cm (12 - 22 inches), with tails that are just as long as the body. They weigh up to 6 kg (13 lb, 3 oz), with brains of mass 35-40g. They are considered the most intelligent New World monkeys.

Like most New World monkeys, capuchins are diurnal and arboreal. With the exception of a midday nap, they spend their entire day searching for food. At night they sleep in the trees, wedged between branches. They are undemanding regarding their habitat and can thus be found in many differing areas. Among the natural enemies of the capuchins are large falcons, cats and snakes.

The diet of the capuchins is more varied than other monkeys in the family Cebidae. They are omnivores, eating not only fruits, nuts, seeds and buds, but also insects, spiders, bird eggs and small vertebrates. Capuchins living near water will also eat crabs and shellfish by cracking their shells with stones.

Easily recognized as the "organ grinder" or "greyhound jockey" monkeys, capuchins are sometimes kept as exotic pets. They are also sometimes used as service animals. Sometimes they plunder fields and crops and are seen as troublesome by nearby human populations. In some regions they have become rare due to the destruction of their habitat.

Social structure
Capuchins live together in groups of 6 to 40 members. These groups consist of related females and their offspring, as well as several males. Usually groups are dominated by a single male, who has primary rights to mate with the females of the group, though the White-headed Capuchin groups are lead by both an alpha male and an alpha female. Mutual grooming as well as vocalization serves as communication and stabilization of the group dynamics. These primates are territorial animals, distinctly marking a central area of their territory with urine and defending it against intruders, though outer zones of these areas may overlap.

Females bear young every two years following a 160 to 180 day gestation. The young cling to their mother's chest until they are larger, when they move to her back. Adult male capuchins rarely take part in caring for the young. Within four years for females and eight years for males, juveniles become fully mature. In captivity, individuals have reached an age of 45 years, although life expectancy in nature is only 15 to 25 years.

Intellegence
Capuchins are considered the most intelligent New World monkeys and are often used in laboratories. The Tufted Capuchin is especially noted for its long-term tool usage, one of the few examples of primate tool use other than by apes. Upon seeing macaws eating palm nuts, cracking them open with their beaks, these capuchins will select a few of the ripest fruits, nip off the tip of the fruit and drink down the juice, then seemingly discard the rest of the fruit with the nut inside. When these discarded fruits have hardened and become slightly brittle, the capuchins will gather them up again and take them to a large flat boulder where they have previously gathered a few river stones from up to a mile away. They will then use these stones, some of them weighing as much as the monkeys, to crack open the fruit to get to the nut inside. Young capuchins will watch this process to learn from the older, more experienced adults.

During the mosquito season, they crush up millipedes and rub the remains on their backs. This acts as a natural insect repellent.

Self-awareness
When presented with a reflection, capuchin monkeys react in a way that indicates an intermediate state between seeing the mirror as another individual and recognizing the image as self.

Most animals react to seeing their reflection as if encountering another individual they don't recognize. An experiment with capuchins shows that they react to a reflection as a strange phenomenon, but not as if seeing a strange capuchin.

In the experiment, capuchins were presented with three different scenarios:

  1. Seeing an unfamiliar, same-sex monkey on the other side of a clear barrier
  2. Seeing a familiar, same-sex monkey on the other side of a clear barrier
  3. A mirror showing a reflection of the monkey

With scenario 1, females appeared anxious and avoided eye-contact. Males made threatening gestures. In scenario 2, there was little reaction by either males or females.

When presented with a reflection, females gazed into their own eyes and made friendly gestures such as lip-smacking and swaying. Males made more eye contact than with strangers or familiar monkeys but reacted with signs of confusion or distress, such as squealing, curling up on the floor or trying to escape from the test room.

Human assistance
Some organizations, such as Helping Hands in Boston, Massachusetts, have been training capuchin monkeys to assist quadriplegics in a manner similar to mobility assistance dogs. After being socialized in a human home as infants, the monkeys undergo extensive training before being placed with a quadriplegic. Around the house, the monkeys help out by doing tasks including microwaving food, washing the quadriplegic's face, and opening drink bottles.

Capuchin Monkey Pet
The capuchin monkey pet as a baby does not enjoy hunting games but would rather snuggle. This highly intelligent creature is a popular pet and belongs to the most common animals that are kept in captivity in Europe and the United States. In the wild they spend most of their day searching for food, taking time out for a midday nap. At night they wedge themselves in trees between branches to sleep. The capuchin monkey pet as a baby does not enjoy hunting games but would rather snuggle.

Active and intelligent, they are capable of using tools, and solving problems. They are omnivorous and feed upon a large range of food in the trees and on the ground. Their diet consists of fruits, nuts, seeds and buds, but also insects, spiders, bird eggs and small vertebrate. The capuchin monkey pet as a baby does not enjoy hunting games but would rather snuggle.

Anatomy
Agile and lean, capuchin monkeys weigh only 3 - 9 pounds (1.36 - 4.9 kilograms). The fur of the capuchin monkey varies, but is most commonly seen with cream or light tan coloring around the face, neck and shoulders. The rest of its coat is dark brown. The hair is shorter and darker on the capuchin's back than on other parts of its body. The face of this cute monkey will range from white to pink in color. The tail is long, covered in hair and is partially able to wrap around branches.

Habitat
The exact range of the capuchin monkey is not known, although it is assumed that they inhabit a large range in Brazil and other parts of Latin America. Capuchin monkeys usually live in large groups (10 - 35 individuals) within the forest, although they can easily adapt to places colonized by humans. Each group is wide-ranging, as members must search for the best areas to feed. They communicate with each other using various calls. Capuchins can jump up to nine feet (three meters), and they use this mode of transport to get from one tree to another. To mark their territories, capuchin monkeys leave a scent by soaking their hands and feet in urine. Remaining hidden among forest vegetation for most of the day, capuchin monkeys sleep on tree branches and descend to the ground only to find drinking water.

Diet
A typical diet for capuchin monkeys includes fruit, insects, leaves and small birds. They are particularly good at catching frogs and cracking nuts, and it is suspected that they may also feed on small mammals.

Basic Details
Capuchins live in large groups hidden in the trees in thick forests. They only come down to the ground to drink. Each group has its own home range that covers a large area. The members of a group move about in search of the best food and keep in contact with each other by calling. To help their sense of direction and mark their territory, capuchin monkeys soak their feet and hands in urine and then leave a scent on the leaves as they move. They feed on fruit, insects, leaves, and small birds, and possibly on small mammals.

After a gestation period of about six months, the female gives birth to a single offspring, which is weaned after a few months.

The white-throated capuchin's body is slender and its limbs are thin. The head is round with short, dark hair in the back, and the long tail is covered with hair and is partly prehensile. This monkey's thumbs and big toes are opposable to the other fingers and toes.

# distribution: Northwestern South America
# habitat: Forests, but these species have also adapted to places colonized by man.
# biome: Rain forest
# male body length: 1.4 ft.
# female body length: 1.3 ft.
# male tail length: 1.4 ft.
# female tail length: 1.5 ft.
# male weight: 6.1 lbs.
# female weight 5.9 lbs.
# home range: 200 acres
# offspring per conception: 1
# gestation period: 26 wk
# time to sexual maturity: 6 yrs.