Central American Squirrel Monkey :: essays research papers

Scientific Name: Samiri oerstedii The Central American Squirrel Monkey is found primarily in primary and secondary forests and cultivated areas in. They are omnivores, which eat insects and when available they also eat fruit, flowers, and occasionally vertebrates. The major population in located in Panama and Costa Rican border. They hardly ever travel on the ground and are most active during the morning and late afternoon. Cultivated and disturbed areas are especially hospitable to the Squirrel Monkeys because of the large number of insects those areas attract. These monkeys live in groups made up of about 40 to 70 individuals. Large group size provides many eyes to search for food. Squirrel monkeys also associate with other monkey species that have similar food preferences, following them to forage areas. The group size also provides safety in numbers: more eyes/ears lower chances of a sneak attack by predators; large numbers make it more difficult for larger monkeys smaller to chase squirrel monkeys out of a â€Å"their† trees. Neither one sex nor the other appears to be dominating, though the females are ones to disperse from the troops. The sex ratio within wild groups tends to be approximately 50-50 males and females. Though they become independent after the first year of their life, female squirrel monkeys tend to reach maturity and begin breeding at around the age of 2.5-3 years of age, and males become fully adult at about the age of five. For the most part the majority of social interactions between the sexes take place during the breeding season. During the non-breeding males tend to stay live on the perimeter of the troop’s territory, while females stay safer in the center. Large group size provides safety in numbers: more eyes/ears lower chances of a sneak attack by predators; large numbers make it more difficult for larger monkeys (that live in smaller groups) to chase squirrel monkeys out of a favored tree. Females receive no help from adult males in caring for their young. Instead, a female will have other female "friends" to help carry and watch over the young as the mother forages. These "friends" are usually offspring from previous years, which do not have young of their own. Since the monkey uses all four of its legs when walking and climbing, the new born babies ride on the mother’s back by gripping her fur, when the mother stop, she will hold her baby with both arms.