Animal Info - Ka'apor Capuchin Monkey

(Other Name: Ka'apor Capuchin, Macaco-caiarara)

Cebus olivaceus kaapori (C. kaapori, C. nigrivittatus)

Status: Vulnerable

1. Profile
2. Tidbits
3. Status and Trends (IUCN Status, Countries Where Currently Found, Taxonomy, History of Distribution, Threats and Reasons for Decline)
4. Data on Biology and Ecology (Weight, Habitat, Gestation Period, Birth Rate, Behavior, Social Organization)
5. References

Profile

The Ka'apor capuchin monkey is one of the capuchins without a tuft of hair on top of the head. It weighs about 2 - 3 kg (4.4 - 6.6 lb). Capuchins are diurnal and arboreal monkeys living in forested habitat. They are polygamous and occur in groups containing up to several dozen individuals. Female capuchins usually have 1 young per birth. Twins are rare.

The Ka'apor capuchin monkey was first described by Western science in 1992 from Brazilian Amazonia. Its exact range is not known but is suspected to include an area of at least 15,000 sq km (5800 sq mi), between the Gurupi River in the west and the Pindare River in the east in the Atlantic coastal state of Maranhao, Brazil. Deforestation has probably reduced its range.

Tidbits

*** The Ka'apor capuchin monkey is named after the Urubu-Ka'apor Indians, who live in the region where the monkey was discovered.

*** The recent discovery of this and another new species, the black-headed marmoset Callithrix nigriceps were unexpected, coming as they did from the two most easily accessible and densely populated regions of Brazilian Amazonia (Ferrari & Queiroz 1994).

*** Capuchin monkeys are such vivacious, intelligent monkeys that they have become the most numerous monkeys in captivity in the USA and Europe. They are the monkeys most often used by itinerant organ grinders. They are so active and mischievous that they are not only first-class entertainers but usually become serious nuisances if allowed to run loose in a home. (Nowak & Paradiso 1983)

Status and Trends

IUCN Status:

1994: Endangered
1996 - 2004: Vulnerable (Criteria: A1c, B1+2c) (IUCN 2004)

Countries Where the Ka'apor Capuchin Monkey Is Currently Found:

2004: Occurs in Brazil. (IUCN 2004)

Taxonomy:

Initially considered to be a full species, Cebus kaapori, the ka'apor capuchin monkey is now considered to be a subspecies (Cebus olivaceus kaapori) of the wedge-capped or weeping capuchin monkey Cebus olivaceus.

History of Distribution:

The Ka'apor capuchin monkey was first described by Western science in 1992. It was discovered in Brazilian Amazonia. Its exact range is not known but is suspected to include an area of at least 15,000 sq km (5800 sq mi), between the Gurupi River in the west and the Pindare River in the east in the Atlantic coastal state of Maranhao, Brazil. There is evidence that the Ka'apor capuchin monkey occurred much further west before the extensive deforestation of this region at the beginning of the 20th century (Ferrari & Queiroz 1994).

Distribution Map #1 (13 Kb) (InfoNatura)
Distribution Map #2 (237 Kb JPEG) (Inst. Ciên. Biol.)

Threats and Reasons for Decline:

Deforestation has probably reduced its range.

Data on Biology and Ecology

Weight:

Capuchin monkeys in the genus Cebus usually weigh about 2 - 3 kg (4.4 - 6.6 lb).

Habitat:

Capuchin monkeys are found in forested regions.

Gestation Period:

Capuchin monkeys have a gestation period of 150 - 180 days.

Birth Rate:

Capuchin monkeys usually have 1 young per birth. Twins are very rare. Births usually occur every 2 years, but they may occur closer together if a baby dies.

Behavior:

Capuchin monkeys are diurnal and arboreal.

Social Organization:

Capuchin monkeys are polygamous. They occur in groups containing up to several dozen individuals.

References

Ferrari & Queiroz 1994, InfoNatura, Inst. Ciên. Biol., IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2003a, IUCN 2004, Macdonald 1984, Nowak 1999, Nowak & Paradiso 1983

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