The Cebus Appella Or Capuchins' Monkey Species

Brown, or tufted, capuchins are New World Monkeys belonging to the genes Cebus. Their species is classified as Cebus apella and are characterized by a black or brown fur on their heads and a coiled tail kept behind their backs. These small primates are found in the wilds of South America, in countries such as Brazil, Columbia, and Venezuela (Gron, 2009). Their habitats range from tropical to terrestrial, inhabiting almost every type of forest in the neotropics (Anderson, 2003). They prefer to dwell in the understory, lower, and middle canopies of such forests. As for sexual dimorphism, adult male brown capuchins are proportionally larger than females in both body and canine size (Anderson, 2003). They typically use quadrupedalism to travel by swinging, leaping, and climbing through trees.

According to Anderson, these monkeys form long-term, social groups of 8 or 15 members, mostly consisting of females, which are overseen by a dominant male (2003). This male hierarchy affects both access to food resources and mates. Brown capuchins are omnivores whose diet mostly consists of fruit, but also consists of: “birds, small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, eggs, carrion, insects, leaves, roots, wood, bark, seeds, grains, nuts, and flowers” (Anderson, 2003). Their reproduction is regulated by year-round breeding, in no particular season, in which the average number of offspring is usually 1. Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 4 and have an ovarian cycle of 21 days. Males, on the other hand, reach sexual maturity later in life, at the age of 7. On a final note, brown capuchins have a polygynous mating system. Females favor the dominant male, though will mate with other males if the dominant male is not present (Anderson, 2003).