Costa Rica Monkeys

 The forests of Costa Rica (their trees) are inhabited by four of the most popular and known species of American monkeys. The Spider Monkey have a very prehensile tail, and has a diet mainly of fruits. The Capuchin Monkey is omnivorous, that is, it feeds on a variety of food of both plant and animal origin; even more, despite its monk-habit-like appearance, it is a predator of newborn coatis, squirrels or iguanas. The Howler Monkey, whose vocalizations can be heard from more than a kilometer away, is a vegetarian, preferably on leaves of "Guarumo" tree. And the fruits, flowers and insects eater Squirrel Monkey, whose population is restricted to a small area in the Pacific shore, in the tropical forests of Manuel Antonio and Corcovado National Parks as well as in Punta Burica.

Monkeys of Costa Rica

Common Monkey Facts
Family: Cebidae
Habitat: Tropical Rainforest and Tropical Dry Forest of Costa Rica.
Ecosystem role: Seed dispertion.
Problems: Loss of habitat, hunting and trapping.
Conservation Status: All four species are in danger of extinction.
Species:
Ateles geoffroyi (Spider).
Cebus capucinus (Capuchin)
Alouatta palliata (Howler).
Saimiri oerstedii (Squirrel).
Features:
Diurnal habits.
Fruit ingestion.
Prehensile tail.

Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) on a tree. La Marina, San Carlos. Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) resting on a tree. Laguna del Lagarto Lodge. Boca Tapada, San Carlos. Capuchin monkey (Cebus capucinus) in a palm tree at Rio Frio shore, near Caño Negro. © 2010 Olger Aragón, Foto Koky, La Fortuna de San Carlos. A male Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata) calling. Tropical Rainforest. Canopy Los Cañones, La Fortuna de San Carlos. Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii) balancing on a tree at Golfito, Southern Pacific. Golfo Dulce Lodge (Golfito, Puntarenas) Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii) into the forest at Piedras Blancas National Park, Southern Pacific. Golfo Dulce Lodge (Golfito, Puntarenas) Capuchin monkey (Cebus capucinus) eating fruit. Tropical Rainforest. Canopy Los Cañones, La Fortuna de San Carlos. Capuchin monkey face (Cebus capucinus). Tropical Rainforest. Canopy Los Cañones, La Fortuna de San Carlos. A female Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata) with his young son. Tropical Dry Forest. La Norma Ecolodge, Guanacaste. The male Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata) relaxed, while its family rest. Tropical Dry Forest. La Norma Ecolodge, Guanacaste. A female Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata) with two babies, a juvenile accompanies them. Tropical Dry Forest. La Norma Ecolodge, Guanacaste. A Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata) feeding on tree leaves. Arenal Volcano flanks, San Carlos. Squirrel Monkeys (Saimiri oerstedii) eating fruits at Manuel Antonio forest. A female Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata) with offspring, accompanied by a male. Tropical Dry Forest. El Sueño de María Ecolodge, Guanacaste.

Spider Monkey Facts
Scientific Name: Ateles geoffroyi
Habitat: Tropical Rainforest, Tropical Dry Forest and mangroves.
Length: Total: 94-147.3 cm (37-58 inches). Tail: 63.5-83.8 cm (25-33 inches).
Weight: 6-9 kg (13.2-19.8 pounds)
Dimorphism: Females are some less weighted and have tail longer than males.
Feeds on: Fruits, leaves, flowers.
Predators: Jaguar, Puma, Boa constrictor, Harpy Eagle.
Features:
Reddish-brown coat; with black feet, forehead and tail tip.
Don't have thumb finger: have 4 fingers in each hand!
Very prehensile tail.

Capuchin Monkey Facts
Scientific Name: Cebus capucinus
Habitat: Tropical Rainforest, Tropical Dry Forest and mangroves, secondary forests.
Lenght: Total: 68.6-100.3 cm (27-39.5 inches). Tail: 35-55.1 cm (13.8-21.7 inches).
Weight: 1.8-4 kg (3.9-8.8 pounds)
Dimorphism: Females are smaller than males.
Feeds on: Fruits, flowers, some newborn vertebrates, bird eggs, insects and its larvae.
Predators: Jaguar, Boa constrictor, Puma, Harpy Eagle.
Features:
Mostly black with creamy white coloration in head, chest and shoulders; the face is pink.
Size smaller than spider and howler monkeys.
Prehensile tail.
Feeds from the ground to the tree-top canopy level.

Howler Monkey Facts
Scientific Name: Alouatta palliata
Habitat: Tropical Rainforest, Tropical Dry Forest, secondary forests and its borders.
Lenght: Total: 104-127 cm (41-50 inches). Tail: 53.3-66 cm (21-26 inches).
Weight: 3.1-9.8 kg (6.8-21.6 pounds)
Dimorphism: Males are up to 30% greater than females.
Feeds on: Fruits, leaves, flowers.
Predators: Jaguar, Boa constrictor, Harpy Eagle.
Where to See it: at La Norma Ecolodge, Guanacaste.
Features:
Black body with yellowish hue at sides.
Emits strong vocalizations that can be heard up to 3 km.
Very prehensile tail.
Can live up to 25 years.
Feeds at the tree-top canopy level.

Squirrel Monkey Facts
Scientific Name: Saimiri oerstedii
Subespecies: Saimiri oerstedii oerstedii (S. o. oerstedii) and Saimiri oerstedii citrinellus (S. o. citrinellus).
Habitat: Tropical Rainforest of Manuel Antonio (S. o. oerstedii), Osa Peninsula and Golfo Dulce at Southern Pacific (S. o. citrinellus).
Lenght: Total: 63.5 cm (25 inches). Tail: 36.3 cm (14.3 inches).
Weight: 0.5-1.1 kg (1.1-2.4 pounds)
Dimorphism: Males generally have lighter "caps" than females.
Feeds on: Fruits, seeds, flowers, bird eggs and insects.
Predators: Felines, Boa constrictor, venomous snakes and Collared Forest-Falcons among other raptors.
Features:
Reddish back, black tail tip and black cap (S. o. oerstedii).
Reddish back, black tail tip and gray cap (S. o. citrinellus).
Is the smallest, rarest and most threatened primate of Costa Rica.
No prehensile tail.
Can live up to 21 years.
Feeds mainly at the tree-top canopy level.
Subespecies S. o. citrinellus at Manuel Antonio is endemic (exclusive) of Costa Rica.

 Unfortunately, all four species of Costa Rica monkeys are in danger of extinction due to the loss of habitat, hunting and trapping. Is regrettable by far the fact that Human being interprets as funny the behaviour and intelligence of monkeys in captivity, but the true is that such way destroy totally its individual nature and equilibrium, its family (which must to be terminated to trap the younger monkeys), the planet and by our strong bond with it, finally ourselves.

So they (as well as the other kind of animals) must be protected and kept in their forests, which must be conserved with accurate sustainable procedures.

Monkeys related Books

This is a selection of recommended and suggested books for further reading and learning about Costa Rica monkeys, flora and fauna; which are available for look at their reader reviews and buying online if needed (* As a form to support this website, we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites).

Books about Costa Rica Monkeys
• Perry, S. (2008). Manipulative Monkeys: The Capuchins of Lomas Barbudal. Harvard University Press.

Books about Monkeys (mainly Costa Rican species)
• Campbell, C. (2012). Spider Monkeys: Behavior, Ecology and Evolution of the Genus Ateles. Cambridge University Press.
• Fragaszy, D., Visalberghi, E. & Fedigan, L. (2004). The Complete Capuchin: The Biology of the Genus Cebus. Cambridge University Press.
• Kowalewski, M., Garber, P., Cortés-Ortiz, L., Urbani, B. & Youlatos, D. (Eds.) (2015). Howler Monkeys: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. Springer.
• Kowalewski, M., Garber, P., Cortés-Ortiz, L., Urbani, B. & Youlatos, D. (Eds.) (2015). Howler Monkeys: Adaptive Radiation, Systematics, and Morphology. Springer.
• Milton, K. (1980). The Foraging Strategy of Howler Monkeys. Columbia University Press.
• Rosenblum, L. A. (1968). The Squirrel Monkey. Academic Press.
• Rosenblum, L. A. & Coe, C. L. (Eds.) (1985). Handbook of Squirrel Monkey Research. Springer.

Books about Costa Rican Fauna (including monkeys)
• Carrilo, E., Wong, G. & Sáenz, J. C. (2002). Costa Rica Mammals. INBio (Bilingual edition).
• Henderson, C. L. (2002). Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica. University of Texas Press.
• Henderson, C. L. (2010). Mammals, Amphibians, and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Field Guide. University of Texas Press.
• Wainwright, M. (2003). The Natural History of Costa Rican Mammals. Comstock Publishing Associates (Cornell University Press).
• Wainwright, M. (2007). The Mammals of Costa Rica: A Natural History and Field Guide. Comstock Publishing Associates (Cornell University Press).
• Wainwright, M. (2014). Costa Rica Mammals and Tracks Wildlife Guide (Laminated Foldout Pocket Field Guide). Rainforest Publications (Bilingual edition).

Books about Flora
• Zuchowski, W. (2007). Tropical Plants of Costa Rica: A Guide to Native and Exotic Flora. Comstock Publishing Associates (Cornell University Press).
• Gargiullo, M., Magnuson, B. & Kimball, L. (2008). A Field Guide to Plants of Costa Rica. Oxford University Press.
• Condit, R., Perez, R. & Daguerre, N. (2010). Trees of Panama and Costa Rica (Princeton Field Guides). Princeton University Press.
• Pucci, G., Pucci, S., & Pucci, J. J. (2017). Magical Trees (3rd Ed.). Pucci Publishing. (Bilingual edition)
• Pucci, G., Pucci, S., & Pucci, J. J. (2016). Magical Forests. Pucci Publishing.