Peruvian Squirrel Monkey

The Peruvian Squirrel Monkey, also called the Black-headed Squirrel Monkey, is a small primate which lives in large Amazon rainforests, often along waterways.

It measures about 30 cm with an even longer tail (36 cm) weighing 700 to 1000 gr in adulthood depending on sex, the males being larger. Life-expectancy is around 15 years.

The arboreal Squirrel Monkey is active by day, eating insects – especially worms and caterpillars – but also fruit and seeds.

Groups consist of several dozen individuals, with a mix of males and females and a dominance hierarchy (more pronounced in males than in females).

Juvenile males form small clans and try to integrate into existing groups to overthrow the power of the eldest. In the group, however, it is the females that dominate.