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External Websites
- New England Primate Conservancy - Capuchin Monkeys
- National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Capuchin monkeys display affiliation towards humans who imitate them
- Nature - Assessment of genetic variability in captive capuchin monkeys (Primates: Cebidae)
- Academia - Capuchin monkey research priorities and urgent issues
- Animal Corner - Capuchin Monkeys
- AZ Animals - Capuchin
- World Animal Foundation - Capuchin – New World Celebrity Monkey Species
- The Spruce Pets - Should You Keep a Capuchin Monkey as a Pet?
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- New England Primate Conservancy - Capuchin Monkeys
- National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Capuchin monkeys display affiliation towards humans who imitate them
- Nature - Assessment of genetic variability in captive capuchin monkeys (Primates: Cebidae)
- Academia - Capuchin monkey research priorities and urgent issues
- Animal Corner - Capuchin Monkeys
- AZ Animals - Capuchin
- World Animal Foundation - Capuchin – New World Celebrity Monkey Species
- The Spruce Pets - Should You Keep a Capuchin Monkey as a Pet?
Also known as: Cebus, sapajou
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: •Article History
- Also called:
- sapajou
- Related Topics:
- brown capuchin
- white-throated capuchin
- white-fronted capuchin
- weeper capuchin
- prehensile tail
See all related content →
capuchin monkey, (genus Cebus), common Central and South American primate found in tropical forests from Nicaragua to Paraguay. Capuchins, considered among the most intelligent of the New World monkeys, are named for their “caps” of hair, which resemble the cowls of Capuchin monks. These monkeys are round-headed and stockily built, with fully haired prehensile tails and opposable thumbs. The body is 30–55 cm (12–22 inches) long, with a tail of about the same length. Coloration ranges from pale to dark brown or black, with white facial markings in some of the four species.
Capuchins go about in noisy troops consisting of several adults and young. They frequent the tops of tall forest trees but roam throughout the vertical range of their habitat from forest floor to canopy. A troop’s home range covers 50–100 hectares (124–247 acres), and individuals travel about 3 km (1.9 miles) per day within the range. Very active during the day, these monkeys sometimes forage with squirrel monkeys, feeding on fruit, other vegetable matter, and small animals. The capuchin diet is quite broad, encompassing over 95 plant species in some areas, but palm fruits are preferred in particular by capuchins; stronger individuals even smash the nuts to get at the insides. At times, capuchins will raid plantations and farms for oranges, corn, and other food.
Britannica QuizAnimal Group NamesCapuchin monkeys apparently breed at any time of year, although in Central America births are more frequent during the dry season. Gestation takes about six months, and births are usually single. Individual females give birth at intervals of one to two years, and the young reach maturity in three to four years. In captivity, capuchin monkeys are easily trained and have been popularly associated with roving performers such as organ grinders.
The genus Cebus consists of five or more species, depending on the taxonomic criteria used, and they are often separated into two groups. The crested, or tufted, group includes the brown capuchin (C. apella), in which the crown bears a dark cap of long erect hairs that often form tufts or crests. The uncrested, or untufted, group includes the more lightly built white-throated (C. capucinus), white-fronted (C. albifrons), and weeper (C. nigrivittatus) capuchins, in which the crown bears a smooth, dark, and more or less pointed cap. The name black-capped capuchin has been applied to both C. apella and C. nigrivittatus.The genus Cebus belongs to the family Cebidae.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeannine Deubel.