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Squirrel monkeys
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Common Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri sciureus

Common Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri sciureus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Primates
Family:Cebidae
Subfamily:Saimiriinae
Miller, 1912 (1900)
Genus:Saimiri
Voigt, 1831
Type species
Simia sciurea
Linnaeus, 1758
Species
Saimiri oerstedii
Saimiri sciureus
Saimiri ustus
Saimiri boliviensis
''Saimiri vanzolini


The squirrel monkeys are the New World monkeys of the genus Saimiri. They are the only genus in the subfamily Saimirinae.

Squirrel monkeys live in the tropical forests of Central and South America. Their range extends from Costa Rica through central Brazil and Bolivia.

Squirrel monkey fur is short and close, colored olive at the shoulders and yellowish orange on its back and extremities. Their throat and the ears are white and their mouths are black. The upper part of their head is hairy. This black and white face gives them their German name, "skull monkeys".

Squirrel monkeys grow to 25 to 35 cm, plus a 35 to 42 cm tail. They weigh 750 to 1100g. Remarkably, the brain mass to body mass ratio for squirrel monkeys is 1:17, which gives them the largest brain, proportionately, of all the primates. Humans have a 1:35 ratio.

Female squirrel monkeys have a pseudo-penis that they use to display dominance over smaller monkeys, much like the way the male squirrel monkeys display their dominance.

Like most of their New World monkey relatives, squirrel monkeys are diurnal and arboreal. Unlike the other New World monkeys, their tail is not used for climbing, but as a kind of "balancing pole" and also as a tool. Their movements in the branches are extremely speedy.

They live together in multi-male/multi-female groups with up to 500 members. These large groups can, however, occasionally break into smaller troops. They have a number of vocal calls, including warning sounds to protect themselves from large falcons, which are a natural threat to them. Their small body size also makes them susceptible to predators such as snakes and felids. For marking territory, squirrel monkeys rub their tail and their skin with their own urine.

Squirrel monkeys are omnivores, eating primarily fruits and insects. Occasionally they also eat nuts, buds, eggs and small vertebrates.

The mating of the squirrel monkeys is subject to seasonal influences. Females give birth to young during the rainy season, after a 150- to 170-day gestation. The mothers exclusively care for the young. Saimiri oerstedti are weaned by 4 months of age, while S. boliviensis are not fully weaned until 18 months old. Female squirrel monkeys reach sexual maturity at age 3 years, while males take until age 5. They live to about 15 years old in the wild, about 20 years in captivity.

Three squirrel monkey species are in danger of extinction. S. o. oerstedti is listed as "endangered," S. o. citrinellus is listed as "critically endangered" and S. vanzolinii is listed as "Vulnerable."

Classification

  • Genus Saimiri
  • S. sciureus group
  • Central American Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri oerstedii
  • Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri oerstedii oerstedii
  • Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri oerstedii citrinellus
  • Common Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri sciureus
  • Saimiri sciureus sciureus
  • Saimiri sciureus albigena
  • Humboldt's Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri sciureus cassiquiarensis
  • Ecuadorian Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri sciureus macrodon
  • Bare-eared Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri ustus
  • S. boliviensis group
  • Black-capped Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri boliviensis
  • Bolivian Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri boliviensis boliviensis
  • Peruvian Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri boliviensis peruviensis
  • Black Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri vanzolini

Gallery


Squirrel monkey at The Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix, Arizona

Common Squirrel Monkey at the Henry Doorly Zoo

A Squirrel Monkey at Fuji Safari Park, Shizuoka, Japan


References

  • Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 138-139. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.2005&rft.edition=3rd%20edition&rft.pub=Johns%20Hopkins%20University%20Press&rft.pages=138-139&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fnmnhgoph.si.edu%2Fmsw%2F"> 

External links

S. sciureus

Binomial name
Saimiri sciureus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Common Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Mammalia
Linnaeus, 1758

Subclasses & Infraclasses
  • Subclass †Allotheria*
  • Subclass Prototheria
  • Subclass Theria

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Primates
Linnaeus, 1758

Families
  • 15, See classification
A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the last category
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Cebidae
Bonaparte, 1831

Genera

Callithrix
Leontopithecus
Saguinus
Callimico
Cebus
Saimiri

The Cebidae form one of the four families of New World monkeys now recognised.
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Gerrit Smith Miller, Jr. (December 6 1869 - February 24 1956) was an American zoologist.

He was born in Peterboro, New York in 1869. He graduated from Harvard University in 1894 and worked under Clinton Hart Merriam at the United States Department of Agriculture.
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In biology, a type is that which fixes a name to a taxon. Depending on the nomenclature code which is applied to the organism in question, a type may be a specimen, culture, illustration, description or taxon.
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S. sciureus

Binomial name
Saimiri sciureus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Common Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus
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Carolus Linnaeus (Carl von Linné)

Carl von Linné, Alexander Roslin, 1775. Currently owned by and hanging at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
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species is one of the basic units of biological classification. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
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S. oerstedii

Binomial name
Saimiri oerstedii
(Reinhardt, 1872)

The Central American Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii) is a squirrel monkey species from Central America.
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S. sciureus

Binomial name
Saimiri sciureus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Common Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus
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S. ustus

Binomial name
Saimiri ustus
(I. Geoffroy, 1843)

The Bare-eared Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri ustus) is a squirrel monkey endemic to Brazil.
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S. boliviensis

Binomial name
Saimiri boliviensis
(I. Geoffroy and Blainville, 1834)

The Black-capped Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri boliviensis
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S. vanzolinii

Binomial name
Saimiri vanzolinii
Ayres, 1985

The Black Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri vanzolinii), or Blackish Squirrel Monkey
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Platyrrhini
E. Geoffroy, 1812

Families

Cebidae
Aotidae
Pitheciidae
Atelidae

The New World monkeys are the four families of primates that are found in Central and South America: Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae and Atelidae.
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Central America (Spanish: Centroamérica or América Central) is a central geographic region of the Americas. It is variably defined either as the southern portion of North America, which connects with South America on the southeast, or a region of
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South America is a continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie
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Motto
¡Vivan siempre el trabajo y la paz!   (Spanish)
"May Work And Peace Live Forever"
Anthem
Noble patria, tu hermosa bandera   (Spanish)
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Motto
Ordem e Progresso   (Portuguese)
"Order and Progress"
Anthem
Hino Nacional Brasileiro
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Motto
"¡La unión es la fuerza!"   (Spanish)
"Unity is strength!"
Anthem
Bolivianos, el hado propicio
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German language (Deutsch, ] (help info ) ) is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.
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Primates
Linnaeus, 1758

Families
  • 15, See classification
A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the last category
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Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism.
If you are prevented from editing this page, and you wish to make a change, please discuss changes on the talk page, request unprotection, log in, or .
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pseudo-penis is a term used of any structure found on an animal that while superficially appearing to be a penis, is derived from a different developmental path.

Mammals


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In animal behavior, diurnality is an animal that is active during the daytime and rests during the night. Animals that are not diurnal are either nocturnal (active at night) or crepuscular (active primarily during twilight, i.e., at dusk and dawn).
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Arboreal is a word meaning "related to or resembling trees". Its meaning comes from the Latin arbor, meaning tree.

In biology, an arboreal animal is one which inhabits or spends large amounts of time in trees or bushes.
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“Tiercel” redirects here. For other meanings, see Tercel.

Falcons

Mauritius Kestrel, Falco punctatus.
This small falcon was nearly extinct in 1974.

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This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
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