Capuchin monkey Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Capuchin

White-headed capuchin (Cebus capucinus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Cebidae
Subfamily:	Cebinae Bonaparte, 1831
Genus
Cebus Sapajus

White-fronted capuchin (Cebus albifrons)

Tufted capuchin (Sapajus apella)

Capuchin monkeys are smart, active monkeys found in the forests of Central America and South America. They are awake during the day and spend most of their time living and traveling through the trees.

What Do Capuchin Monkeys Look Like?
Where Do Capuchin Monkeys Live?
How Do Capuchin Monkeys Have Babies?
How Smart Are Capuchin Monkeys?
Capuchin Monkeys and Humans
Capuchin Monkeys in Movies and TV
What Do Capuchin Monkeys Eat?
Cool Facts About Capuchin Monkeys
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What Do Capuchin Monkeys Look Like?

Capuchin monkeys are easy to spot! They have small, round heads. Their most special feature is a dark "hood" or "cap" of fur on their head.

Their fur is usually a mix of brown, black, and sometimes white or gray. They have long tails that they can use like an extra limb. This helps them grab branches and swing through the trees. They are very quick and good at acrobatics!

Adult capuchins are about 12 to 22 inches (30 to 56 centimeters) long. They usually weigh between 3 and 9 pounds (1.4 and 4 kilograms).

Where Do Capuchin Monkeys Live?

Capuchin monkeys live in Central America and South America. They make their homes in trees. They travel through the trees during the day and sleep there at night.

Capuchins live in groups of 10 to 40 monkeys. Usually, one male monkey is in charge of the group. The capuchins in a group will groom each other. They also make different sounds to talk to each other.

How Do Capuchin Monkeys Have Babies?

Female capuchins have babies about every two years. Their pregnancy lasts for 160 to 180 days. Young capuchins hold onto their mother's chest at first. As they get bigger, they move to her back.

Adult male capuchins usually do not help care for the young. Female monkeys become fully grown in about four years. Males take about eight years to become fully grown. In zoos, capuchins can live up to 45 years. In nature, they usually live for 15 to 25 years.

How Smart Are Capuchin Monkeys?

Capuchins are known as the smartest monkeys in the New World. They are very good at solving problems.

For example, they watch macaws eat palm nuts. Macaws crack the nuts open with their strong beaks. Capuchins pick ripe palm fruits. They drink the juice and then seem to throw the rest away. But they don't really throw them away!

When these discarded fruits become hard and dry, the capuchins collect them. They take them to a large flat rock. They also bring stones from a river. They use these stones to crack open the hard fruit to get the nut inside. Young capuchins watch the older monkeys to learn this skill. It can take a capuchin up to 8 years to learn how to do this perfectly!

Capuchin Monkeys and Humans

A 19th-century organ grinder and his capuchin monkey.

Capuchin monkeys are sometimes seen with "organ grinders" or in races as "greyhound jockeys." People also sometimes keep capuchins as pets.

Sometimes, capuchins eat crops from farms. This can make them seem like a problem to people living nearby. In some areas, there are fewer capuchins now. This is because their forest homes are being destroyed.

Capuchins are also trained as special helpers. They are sometimes called "nature's butlers." Some groups train capuchin monkeys to help people who cannot move their arms and legs well. These monkeys are like mobility assistance dogs.

First, the baby monkeys live in a human home to learn how to be around people. Then, they get a lot of training. After that, they are placed with a person who needs help. Around the house, the monkeys can do tasks like heating food in a microwave. They can also help wash a person's face or open drink bottles.

Capuchin Monkeys in Movies and TV

Capuchin monkeys are often seen in movies. You might have seen them in Outbreak or Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (and its sequels). They also appeared in Zookeeper and George of the Jungle.

On the TV show Friends, Ross Geller had a capuchin monkey named Marcel. Crystal the Monkey is a very famous monkey actress who has been in many films.

What Do Capuchin Monkeys Eat?

Capuchins eat many different things. They eat fruits, nuts, seeds, and buds from plants. They also eat insects, spiders, birds' eggs, and small animals. If capuchins live near water, they will also eat crabs and shellfish. They use stones to crack open the shells.

Cool Facts About Capuchin Monkeys

Capuchin monkeys can live for up to 40 years in the wild.
They have great eyesight and hearing. This helps them find their way and spot animals that might hunt them.
Capuchins are very social animals. They live in groups of up to 40 monkeys.
They are super agile and can move through the trees with amazing speed.
Capuchin monkeys use tools to help them find and eat food.
The tufted capuchin uses tools in a similar way to chimpanzees. This is one of the few times we see tool use by primates other than apes.
During mosquito season, they crush millipedes. Then they rub the crushed millipedes on their backs. This acts like a natural bug spray!