Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey
Encyclopedia
The Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii citrinellus) is a subspecies of the Central American Squirrel Monkey
. Its range is restricted to the Pacific
coast of central Costa Rica
. The northern end of its range is the Rio Tulin and the southern end of its range is the Rio Grande de Terraba. South of the Rio Grande de Terraba, it is replaced by the Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey
, S. oerstedii oerstedii. Populations are very fragmented, and the subspecies does not occur in all locations within its general range. It is the subspecies of Central American Squirrel Monkey seen in Manuel Antonio National Park
in Costa Rica.
The Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey is orange or reddish-orange in color, with a black cap. It differs from the Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey
in that the limbs and underparts of the Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey are less yellowish. Some authorities also consider the cap on the Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey to be less black than that of the Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey, but other authorities regard this as a feature that varies by age rather than by subspecies.
Adults reach a length of between 266 and 291 mm (10.5 and 11.5 in), excluding tail, and a weight between 600 and 950 g (21.2 and 33.5 oz). The tail is longer than the body, and between 362 and 389 mm (14.3 and 15.3 in) in length. Males have an average body weight of 829 g (29.2 oz) and females have an average body weight of 695 g (24.5 oz).
The Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey is arboreal and diurnal. It lives in groups containing several adult males, several adult females and juveniles. It is omnivorous
, with a diet that includes insects and insect larvae (especially grasshopper
s and caterpillar
s), spiders, fruit, leaves, bark, flowers and nectar. It also eats small vertebrate
s, including bats, birds, lizards and frogs. It finds its food foraging through the lower and middle levels of the forest.
As of 2008, the Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey was assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as "endangered". This was an improvement from prior assessments, in which the subspecies was assessed as "critically endangered". It is listed as endangered to a small and severely fragmented range amounting to only about 3500 square kilometres (1,351.4 sq mi), and continuing habitat loss. There are conservation efforts within Costa Rica to try to preserve this monkey from extinction.
Central American Squirrel Monkey
The Central American squirrel monkey is a squirrel monkey species from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Panama. It is restricted to the northwestern tip of Panama near the border with Costa Rica, and the central and southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, primarily in Manuel Antonio and Corcovado...
. Its range is restricted to the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast of central Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. The northern end of its range is the Rio Tulin and the southern end of its range is the Rio Grande de Terraba. South of the Rio Grande de Terraba, it is replaced by the Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey
Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey
The Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey is a subspecies of the Central American Squirrel Monkey. Its range is restricted to the Pacific coast of western Panama to the western portion of the Chiriqui Province and of southern Costa Rica, south of the Rio Grande de Terraba, including the...
, S. oerstedii oerstedii. Populations are very fragmented, and the subspecies does not occur in all locations within its general range. It is the subspecies of Central American Squirrel Monkey seen in Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio National Park, in Spanish the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, is a small National Park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, just south of the city of Quepos, Puntarenas, and from the national capital of San José...
in Costa Rica.
The Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey is orange or reddish-orange in color, with a black cap. It differs from the Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey
Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey
The Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey is a subspecies of the Central American Squirrel Monkey. Its range is restricted to the Pacific coast of western Panama to the western portion of the Chiriqui Province and of southern Costa Rica, south of the Rio Grande de Terraba, including the...
in that the limbs and underparts of the Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey are less yellowish. Some authorities also consider the cap on the Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey to be less black than that of the Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey, but other authorities regard this as a feature that varies by age rather than by subspecies.
Adults reach a length of between 266 and 291 mm (10.5 and 11.5 in), excluding tail, and a weight between 600 and 950 g (21.2 and 33.5 oz). The tail is longer than the body, and between 362 and 389 mm (14.3 and 15.3 in) in length. Males have an average body weight of 829 g (29.2 oz) and females have an average body weight of 695 g (24.5 oz).
The Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey is arboreal and diurnal. It lives in groups containing several adult males, several adult females and juveniles. It is omnivorous
Omnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
, with a diet that includes insects and insect larvae (especially grasshopper
Grasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
s and caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s), spiders, fruit, leaves, bark, flowers and nectar. It also eats small vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
s, including bats, birds, lizards and frogs. It finds its food foraging through the lower and middle levels of the forest.
As of 2008, the Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey was assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as "endangered". This was an improvement from prior assessments, in which the subspecies was assessed as "critically endangered". It is listed as endangered to a small and severely fragmented range amounting to only about 3500 square kilometres (1,351.4 sq mi), and continuing habitat loss. There are conservation efforts within Costa Rica to try to preserve this monkey from extinction.