The Amazing Squirrel Monkey
By: Kalun White
3rd Period
Squirrel Monkey
• Belongs to the Chordata Phylum
• Mammal Class
• Primate Order
Physical Characteristics
• What are the squirrel monkey’s
features?
– They are about as big as a
squirrel - 10-14 inches
– Adult males range between 1.5
to 2.5 pounds
– Their fur is short, thick, soft, and
brightly colored.
– The skin on the lips and around
nostrils is black with almost no
hair.
– Tails are almost 14 inches long
– They have nails and not claws
Physical Characteristics
• How many babies do squirrel monkeys
have?
– Squirrel Monkeys have one baby at
a time once a year
– Babies spend the first few months
of life riding their mother's back.
– Males do not help raise the babies
but other females do
– Babies are independent at 1 year
old
– Squirrel monkeys can live up to 20
years
Physical Characteristics
• How big are squirrel monkey families?
– Families are called troops or bands
– Troops can include 12 to 100 monkeys
– Troops have a male group, mother and baby
group, and a teenage group
– All groups sleep together but separate in the day
to gather food
Habitat
Where do squirrel
monkeys live?
• The common squirrel
monkey is found in the
countries of Bolivia,
Columbia, Ecuador,
French Guiana, Guyana,
Peru, Suriname,
Paraguay, and
Venezuela
Habitat
• What kind of
environment do squirrel
monkeys live in?
• Squirrel monkeys live in
watery environments
such as tropical
rainforests
• They spend most of
their time in trees rarely
touching the ground
Survival Information
• What do squirrel
monkeys eat and how
do they get food?
• Squirrel monkeys eat
insects like caterpillars
and grass hoppers,
small vertebrae like tree
frogs and bats, fruit,
nectar, flower buds and
seeds.
• They hunt for insects
and small vertebrae in
live leaves and large
patches of trees
Survival Information
• What are threats to the survival of squirrel
monkeys?
• The squirrel monkeys' main enemy is the eagle.
Porcupines and baboons also are enemies of monkeys.
• Cutting down forests, illegal hunting, and capture to be
sold as pets or for medical research are all threats and
problems to the squirrel monkeys.
Adaptations
• Squirrel monkeys are active in the day time
• Excellent climbers and leapers
• Communicate through chirps and clucks, barking
when mad, and purring and squawking during
mating,
• They rub urine on their hands and feet so that they
can leave their scent behind as they move through
the branches to tell other monkeys where they have
been and keep predators away
Interesting Facts About Squirrel
Monkeys
• Squirrel monkeys are noisy, nervous little monkeys
• The squirrel monkey's hands are shaped like ours - they are
good for gripping tree branches and picking up fruit or insects.
• Males gain weight prior to the mating season, nearly doubling
in size.
• The squirrel monkey's different colors act as a sort of
camouflage by making it more difficult to spot.
• Squirrel Monkeys are important seed dispersers. They also
pollinate several species of plants
Questions