The Brown Capuchin: Facts and Information

The brown capuchin is a mammal of the order Primates and the suborder Haplorhini (monkeys and apes). It is a monkey, not an ape. It is also known as the tufted capuchin, the guianan or margarita island brown capuchin, the black capped capuchin or the margarita brown capuchin.

Physical Characteristics

The brown capuchin is 15 to 17 inches long with a 16 to 19 1/2 inch long tail. It weighs 6 1/2 to 10 pounds. Its fur can range from light brown to mustard yellow to black. The shoulders as well as the underside are paler then the rest of the body. It typically has black side burns but the rest of the facial patterns from between individuals. It has tufts of fur that look like horns above each ear. Its tail is prehensile and the tip is often curled.

Behavioral Characteristics

The brown capuchin lives in groups that usually contains between 8 and 14 individuals of both sexes. It knows how to use tools. It uses stones to crack open nuts. It is an arboreal animal, spending its life among the trees. It is active during the day time (diurnal) and sleeps at night.

Life Cycle

The female brown capuchin gives birth once a year. Mating is not seasonal but births tend to be more frequent during dry or early rainy season. This probably has to do with food abundance. It can give birth to 1 or 2 young; one young is much more common then 2. Gestation or pregnancy lasts between 150 and 160 days. Once they become sexually mature (4 years old for females and 7 years old for males) the female may or not stay with its parent’s group but the male always leaves to find a new group. The female is in charge of raising the young. The male is tolerant of the young but does not participate in rearing. In captivity this species may live up to 45 years old. The lifespan in the wild is likely to be much shorter.

Diet

The diet of the brown capuchin includes nuts, fruits, insects, vertebrates and small bats. Frogs and lizards are typically vertebrate prey of this species.

Habitat

The brown capuchin is located in the north half of South America. Of all the monkeys in the Americas this one has the largest range. Its most often found inhabiting tropical and subtropical forests but is also present in dry forest, gallery forest, disturbed forest and secondary forest.

Conservation

The brown capuchin is classified as least concern on the IUCN (International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) red list of threatened species. This classification is the lowest and means the species has a large widespread, population and no current threats that would likely decrease its population in the foreseeable future.

References:

Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World’s Wildlife by, David Burnie and Don E. Wilson

Anderson, R. 2003. “Cebus apella” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed July 23, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cebus_apella.html.