Squirrel Monkey
Saimiri boliviensis

CLASS: Mammalia
ORDER: Primates
FAMILY: Cebidae

SIZE:
Length of body and head, 10.25 - 14.25 inches; Weight 0.66 - 2.25 lbs

RANGE:
Central and South America

HABITAT:
Forests lining South American waterways

DIET:
Wild - Insects, berries, fruits, snails, vegetation, birds, eggs
Zoo - Biscuits, fruits, vegetables, mealworms, crickets, apple juice

ADAPTATIONS:

• Live in bands of 12 - 100 members, led by females
• Arboreal (tree dwellers) -- move silently through the treetops decending to ground only rarely
• Constantly groom their fur
• Very susceptible to parasitic infections
• Can make 26 different sounds
• Non-prehensile tail
• When demarcating its own territory, it leaves a scent by soaking its body, especially its tail in its urine.

YOUNG:
One -- Males double their body size during mating season

STATUS:
CITES App. II; declining due to habitat destruction, hunting for meat, and the pet trade; it is being bred in captivity.