In the wild, squirrel monkeys would spend much of their day foraging through the jungle, tearing apart bark to find bugs and ripping into fruit to eat. Here at the Zoo we often provide them with various paper products so they can exercise their shredding skills!
Al: Male, wild born in Guyana, South America in 1993. He arrived at the Zoo on April, 27, 1999.
Coco: Female, wild born in Guyana, South America in 1996. She arrived at the Zoo on April, 27, 1999.
Meg: Female, wild born in Guyana, South America in 1996. She arrived at the Zoo on April, 27, 1999.
Chestnut: Female, born December 26, 1999 at the Philadelphia Zoo.
Ivana: Female, born December 13, 2004 at the Philadelphia Zoo.
Andrew: Male, born April 20, 2008 at the Philadelphia Zoo.
Viewing Hints
Squirrel monkeys are very active and are arboreal, so if you don't see them when you first look into their enclosure, look up.
Common squirrel monkeys have a pink face with black around the muzzle, a gray to black crown, pointed arches over the eyes, and white hairy ear tufts. The back is olive in color, the underparts are light yellow, and the forearms, hands, and feet are yellow-orange.
Longevity
Common squirrel monkeys can live up to 30 years in zoos, with a typical lifspan in the wild of about 21 years.
Behavior
Common squirrel monkeys are diurnal and arboreal, noisy, and highly active. They are extremely social, vocal, and in the wild often form mixed-species associations with white-fronted capuchins (Cebus albifrons) and tufted capuchins (Cebus apella).
To learn more about the conservation efforts at the Philadelphia Zoo,
click here.