Tufted capuchin facts for kids
The tufted capuchin (Sapajus apella), also known as the brown capuchin or black-capped capuchin, is a type of monkey found in South America and on the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. These monkeys are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Their diet mainly includes fruits and insects, but they also eat small animals like lizards and bird chicks.
Tufted capuchins live in many different places, including wet tropical forests, dry forests, and forests that have been disturbed by humans. Like other capuchins, they are very social. They live in groups of 8 to 15 monkeys, led by a strong, dominant male.
Quick facts for kids Tufted capuchin |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Sapajus
|
| Species: |
apella
|
| Subspecies | |
|
Sapajus apella macrocephalus |
|
 |
|
| Geographic range following taxonomy used by IUCN | |
 |
|
| Range of subspecies macrocephalus | |
| Synonyms | |
|
|
Contents
About the Tufted Capuchin
For a long time, all tufted capuchins were grouped under the name Cebus apella. This meant their home range stretched across much of South America. However, scientists later decided that some capuchins, like the black-striped and black capuchins, were different enough to be their own species. These are now placed in a new group called Sapajus.
The tufted capuchin is now mainly found in the Amazon basin and nearby areas. One type, the large-headed capuchin, which used to be its own species, is now considered a subspecies of the tufted capuchin. This means the tufted capuchin's range now also includes parts of Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia.
Physical Features
.jpg)
The tufted capuchin is stronger and more muscular than other capuchin monkeys. It has rougher fur and a long, thick tail. On its forehead, it has a bunch of long, stiff hairs that can look like a "wig."
Its fur is brownish-gray, and its belly is a bit lighter. Its hands and feet are black. The tail is very strong and can be used to grasp things, almost like an extra arm!
These monkeys are about 32 to 57 centimetres (13 to 22 in) long from head to body. Their tails are 38 to 56 centimetres (15 to 22 in) long. They weigh between 1.9 to 4.8 kilograms (4.2 to 10.6 lb). Males are usually bigger and heavier than females.
Daily Life and Habits
Tufted capuchins are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day. They mostly live in trees, but they often come down to the ground to look for food or to travel between trees that are too far apart to jump.
They live in groups that can have anywhere from two to over twenty monkeys. A group usually has at least one adult male, but some groups have several males. In these cases, one male is the leader, or dominant male. He only lets a few monkeys, mostly younger ones and some females, stay very close to him. When food is scarce, the dominant male and his closest group members get to eat first. Other monkeys have to wait their turn.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
After about 180 days of pregnancy, a mother capuchin usually gives birth to one baby, though sometimes twins are born. The baby is very small, weighing only about 200 to 250 grams. The mother carries her baby on her back. She feeds her baby for about 9 months. However, the young monkey cannot have its own babies until it is about seven years old. This is quite late for a monkey of its size.
Large birds of prey are important natural enemies of the capuchin. The monkeys are so afraid of these birds that they even get scared when a harmless bird flies overhead.
What They Eat
One amazing thing about some tufted capuchins is that they use stones as tools to open hard nuts! First, they pick ripe nuts from a palm tree. They use their teeth to remove the tough outer layer of the nut. Then, they let the nut dry for about a week. Once the nut is dry, the monkey places it on a large, flat rock or a fallen tree. They then hit the nut with a suitable stone until it cracks open. The stones they use as hammers are often so big that the monkeys need both hands to lift them. The rocks they use as anvils often have hollows from being used repeatedly.
Besides nuts, capuchins also eat fruits, leaves, seeds, soft plant parts, insects, and their larvae. They also eat eggs and young birds, frogs, lizards, other reptiles, rodents, and even bats. They have even been seen chasing cats!
Tufted capuchins look for food together in groups. When one monkey finds something good to eat, it might make a loud whistling sound. This sound tells the other monkeys that there is food nearby, especially if there's a lot of it. The group is very organized, and who eats first depends on their rank. The dominant male often stays in the middle of the group, just behind the front line. This keeps him safer if a predator attacks. The monkeys at the very front are usually high-ranking females who are allowed to be there by the dominant male. They get to reach the food first, but they are also the most vulnerable to predators.
Using Tools
The tufted capuchin has been seen using many different tools. They use containers to hold water. They use sticks to dig for nuts, to dip for syrup, to catch ants, or to reach food. They use sponges to soak up juice. They also use stones as hammers and chisels to break through barriers, and as hammers and anvils to crack nuts. Some of these tasks, like using a stick to catch ants, are simple. But others, like cracking nuts with a hammer and anvil, are very complex. Only chimpanzees are known to do more complex tool use.
Scientists believe that animals like the tufted capuchin are more likely to use tools if they have three things: good hand skills, intelligence, and a tolerant social group. Capuchins have a special "precision grip" with their thumbs and fingertips, which helps them handle objects carefully. This grip is rare among New World monkeys and only seen a little in apes. Capuchins also have large brains for their body size, which suggests they are very intelligent. Finally, their social groups are complex and tolerant, which helps them learn from each other.
Tufted capuchins have even been seen making tools, both in zoos and in the wild. In zoos, they have made sticks to reach food that was hard to get. They also learned to use paper towels, monkey biscuits, sticks, leaves, and straw to soak up juice and then suck on the "sponge." In the wild, capuchins use stones to dig holes for tubers (underground plant parts). This was thought to be something only humans did before! They also use stones to crack various nuts and fruits. Amazingly, some capuchins have even used stones to knock other stones loose, which they then used as hammers or shovels. This is called "second-order tool use" and was previously only seen in chimpanzees.
It's interesting that not all tufted capuchins use tools. Some scientists think this might be because they have other food sources. Others believe it depends on how much time a monkey spends on the ground. The more time they spend on the ground, the more likely they are to benefit from using tools.
In zoos, tufted capuchins have even made simple stone tools by hitting stones together. Some of these monkeys then used these sharp stones to cut through barriers to get food. This shows that these monkeys can change stones using behaviors they already know. This behavior is seen as an early step towards making stone tools, similar to what early human ancestors might have done.
Scientists study how tufted capuchins use and make tools to understand how they learn and solve problems. Learning from others is a big topic in animal studies. It's hard to tell if an animal is truly "imitating" another or just learning in a simpler way. One study found that young capuchins tended to watch the best tool users when cracking nuts. In another study, monkeys were given a box with food that could be opened in two ways. When humans showed them only one way, the monkeys used that method, even if they later found the other way. This suggests they can learn by watching.
Solving Problems
The way tufted capuchins use and make tools also shows how they solve problems. While some other animals, like crows, use tools, capuchins show more flexibility in how they use them. This flexibility suggests higher intelligence. However, it doesn't mean they fully understand cause and effect. It means they learn from what works, but not so much from what fails. Their ability to repeat successful actions, combined with their many different behaviors, helps explain why tufted capuchins are so good at inventing new ways to use tools and solve problems.
Where They Live
Tufted capuchins live in the northern Amazon rainforest in countries like the Guyanas, Venezuela, and Brazil. They are also found in eastern Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. There is even a group of them living on the northwestern part of the island of Trinidad in Trinidad and Tobago. The group on Margarita Island in Venezuela is considered Critically Endangered, meaning they are at very high risk of disappearing.
These monkeys can live in many different types of forests, mostly in tropical rainforests (up to 2700 meters high), but also in more open forests. Their home range sometimes overlaps with other capuchin species, like the white-fronted capuchin.
Images for kids
-
An example of the Doorian Fruit, a box that can open in one of two ways.
See also
In Spanish: Sapajus apella para niños
