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Capuchin كابوشي

Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Cebidae
Species: Cebus apella
 

Distribution:
Capuchin lives in Central and South America.

Habitat:
They live in tropical forests from Honduras to Paraguay, they are tree-dwellers and diurnal, but can also be found on the ground when in search of food.

 
Description:
Their body, arms, legs and tail are all darkly (black or brown) colored, while the face, throat and chest are white colored, and their heads have a black cap. They reach a length of 30 to 60 cm, with tails that are just as long as the body. They weigh up to 5 kg, with brains of mass 35-40 g. Capuchins generally resemble the friars of their namesake.

Lifespan:
In the wild they live 12-25 years and in captivity may reach 35 years.

Diet:
Capuchin diet consists mainly of fruit, seeds, insects, bird eggs, flowers, grass and nuts and sometimes small back-boned animals. They are very good at catching frogs and cracking nuts using tools. Capuchins can adapt quickly if their main food is not available and unfortunately can become pests when they travel to plantations and raid the local orange, maize or chocolate bean harvests. These animals are very smart and have been known to use tools such as twigs and sticks to get food.

Behavior:
Capuchin monkeys are active in the daytime, and live in groups of 3-30, including at least one male. In small groups there is usually a sex ratio of about 1:1, but in large groups there are about 3 females for every male. They frequently groom each other, and have complex social lives, with alliances made between different individuals. The groups are not territorial, but are aggressive to members of other groups. They spend most of their time in the forest under storey and sometimes on the ground.

Reproduction:
Only one female is in estrous at a time; while no fights break out over her, it is usually only the dominant male who mates with her. The birthing season spans from December to April.
Gestation lasts for 5-5.5 months, usually resulting in a single birth. There is a minimum period of 19 months between births; although this period is much less if the infant dies.
The infants stay close to their mothers, who habitually groom and carry their infants on their backs. Weaning occurs at 12 months with the infants gradually becoming more independent with age; they play among themselves, chasing and wrestling each other.
Sexual maturity is reached at 2-3 years,

Threats:
Habitat destruction is the main threat for the species in South America. Other threats include local hunting for their meat.

Conservation status:
IUCN Red List: Least Concern.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebus_apella
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Cebus_apella.html
http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/39949/0

 
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