Monkey Capuchin Black 23cm - Cuddly Toy

Physical Characteristics
Capuchins generally resemble the friars of their namesake. Their body, arms, legs and tail are all darkly (black or brown) coloured, while the face, throat and chest are white coloured and their heads have a black cap. They reach a length of 30 to 56 cms with tails that are just as long as the body. They weigh on average about 4 kgs. Capuchins are considered the most intelligent New World monkeys.

Habitat
Capuchin monkeys are undemanding regarding their habitat and can thus be found in many differing areas. The range of the capuchin monkeys includes Central America and South America as far south as Northern Argentina.

Behaviour
With the exception of a midday nap, Capuchin monkeys spend their entire day searching for food. At night they sleep in the trees, wedged between branches. Capuchins live together in groups of 10 to 35 members consisting of related females and their offspring, as well as several males. Usually groups are dominated by a single male who has primary rights to mate with the females of the group. Mutual grooming as well as vocalisation serves as communication and stabilisation of the group dynamics. They are territorial animals, distinctly marking a central area of their territory with urine and defending it against intruders, though outer zones of these areas may overlap.

Breeding
Female Capuchin monkeys bear young every two years following a 160 to 180 day gestation. The young cling to their mother's chest until they are larger, when they move to her back. Adult male capuchins rarely take part in caring for the young. Within four years for females and eight years for males, juveniles become fully mature. In captivity, individuals have reached an age of 45 years, although life expectancy in nature is only 15 to 25 years.

Diet
The diet of the Capuchins is more varied than other monkeys in the family Cebidae. They are omnivores, eating not only fruits, nuts, seeds and buds, but also insects, spiders, bird eggs and small vertebrates. Capuchins living near water will also eat crabs and shellfish by cracking their shells with stones.

Strange and Interesting Facts
The word Capuchin derives from a group of friary monks, named the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, an offshoot from the Franciscans, who wore brown robes with large hoods covering their heads. When explorers reached the Americas in the 15th century they found small monkeys who resembled these monks and named them capuchins too! During the mosquito season, they crush up insects known as Millipedes and rub the remains on their backs. This acts as a natural insect repellent!