Where does the tufted capuchin live?
The tufted capuchin is a New World primate from South America and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. It can be found in many different kinds of environment, including moist tropical and subtropical forest, dry forest, and disturbed or secondary forest. It is a fairly common species in Brazil. It is diurnal and arboreal, but often forages on the ground.
What does the tufted capuchin eat?
It is omnivorous, mostly feeding on fruits and invertebrates, although it sometimes feeds on small vertebrates such as lizards and bird chicks, and other plant parts. One population uses stones as tools to open hard nuts: the monkey lays the nut on a large, flat rock or fallen tree, and hammers it with a suitable stone until the nut cracks. The stones are often large enough to require lifting with both hands.
Is the tufted capuchin endangered?
No: the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, but one of its subspecies, the one from Margarita Island, is considered Critically Endangered. Like other capuchins, it is a social animal, forming groups of 8 to 15 individuals led by an alpha or dominant male. The young, which weighs only 200 to 250 g, is carried on its mother's back.
