Central American Squirrel Monkey

• Common Name: Central American Squirrel Monkey
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1872
• Monkey Size: 22.5 to 29.5 cm (8.86 to 11.61 in)
• Skin Color(s): Yellow brown
• Habitat: Forest, rainforest
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Native Countries: Costa Rica, Panama

The Central American squirrel monkey^[1] also called the red-backed squirrel monkey, a species of New-World monkey, is a squirrel monkey type native to the Pacific coast of Panama and Costa Rica.

• Central American squirrel monkeys are slender and petite with long tails. Much of the body fur and the forearms, hands, and feet are yellowish-brown.
• Their belly is light yellow. As their alternate common name, the red-backed squirrel monkey, suggests, they have golden red fur on their backs.
• The shoulders and hips are gray-brown, and the tail is also grey-brown but with a black tip.
• Central American squirrel monkeys can be distinguished from the South American squirrel monkey by the crown on their heads.
• Central American squirrel monkeys have black fur on their crowns, while South American squirrel monkeys have brownish-gray crowns.

Being omnivorous, the Central American Squirrel Monkey consumes several food sources but is not limited to^[¶]:

• Hexapoda (Insecta)
• Arthropodes (Arthropoda)
• Panama Hat Plant (Carludovica palmata).
• Abas (Psidium guajava)
• Amate (Ficus obtusifolia)
• Star Apple (Chrysophyllum cainito).
• Chirimoya (Annona spraguei)
• Malaysian Apple (Syzygium malaccense).
• Pumpwood (Cecropia peltata)
• Breadnut (Brosimum alicastrum)
• False Coffee (Faramea occidentalis).
• Icecreambean (Inga edulis)
• Jagua (Genipa americana)
• Pachiuba (Socratea exorrhiza)
• Guarumo (Cecropia obtusifolia)
• Conejo (Protium tenuifolium)
• Guabo Pachón (Inga goldmanii).
• Mango (Mangifera indica)
• Requia Colorada (Trichilia cipo).
• Smooth Manjack (Cordia laevigata).
• Guarumo Amarillo (Cecropia longipes).
• Angelica Tree (Dendropanax arboreus).
• Hogplum (Spondias mombin)
• Panama Tree (Sterculia apetala).

• Central American squirrel monkeys spend most of their lives in the middle and upper layers of the tree canopy.
• They have excellent eyesight and can distinguish colors. This allows them to identify the fruit in the dense vegetation.
• Due to the increase in agriculture and the squirrel monkeys’ shrinking territory, they often invade plantations.
• They start foraging just before sunrise and continue until an hour to an hour and a half after sunset, stopping only for short breaks or thunderstorms.
• In general, squirrel monkey family groups can be large, comprising up to 300 individuals. However, larger troops arise when two or smaller groups unite temporarily to feed, mate, or protect each other.