Four species of monkey are native to the forests of 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 Central American Squirrel Monkey

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...

 (Saimiri oerstedii), the White-headed Capuchin

White-headed Capuchin

The white-headed capuchin , also known as the white-faced capuchin or white-throated capuchin, is a medium-sized New World monkey of the family Cebidae, subfamily Cebinae...

 (Cebus capucinus), the Mantled Howler

Mantled Howler

The mantled howler , or golden-mantled howling monkey, is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is one of the monkey species most often seen and heard in the wild in Central America...

 (Alouatta palliata) and Geoffroy's Spider Monkey

Geoffroy's Spider Monkey

Geoffroy's spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi, also known as black-handed spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, parts of Mexico and possibly a small portion of Colombia. There are at least five subspecies. Some primatologists classify the...

 (Ateles geoffroyi). All four species are classified scientifically as New World Monkey

New World monkey

New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Platyrrhini parvorder and the Ceboidea superfamily, which are essentially synonymous since...

s. Two of the species, the Central American Squirrel Monkey and the White-headed Capuchin, belong to the family Cebidae

Cebidae

The Cebidae is one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. It includes the capuchin monkeys and squirrel monkeys. These species are found throughout tropical and subtropical South and Central America.-Characteristics:...

, the family containing the squirrel monkey

Squirrel monkey

The squirrel monkeys are the New World monkeys of the genus Saimiri. They are the only genus in the subfamily Saimirinae.Squirrel monkeys live in the tropical forests of Central and South America in the canopy layer. Most species have parapatric or allopatric ranges in the Amazon, while S...

s and capuchin

Capuchin monkey

The capuchins are New World monkeys of the genus Cebus. The range of capuchin monkeys includes Central America and South America as far south as northern Argentina...

s. The other two species belong to the family Atelidae

Atelidae

Atelidae is one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. It was formerly included in the family Cebidae. Atelids are generally larger monkeys; the family includes the howler, spider, woolly and woolly spider monkeys...

, the family containing the howler monkey

Howler monkey

Howler monkeys are among the largest of the New World monkeys. Fifteen species are currently recognised. Previously classified in the family Cebidae, they are now placed in the family Atelidae. These monkeys are native to South and Central American forests...

s, spider monkey

Spider monkey

Spider monkeys of the genus Ateles are New World monkeys in the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil...

s, woolly monkey

Woolly monkey

The woolly monkeys are the genus Lagothrix of New World monkeys, usually placed in the family Atelidae.There are four species of woolly monkey. All originate from the rainforests of South America...

s and muriqui

Muriqui

The muriquis, also known as woolly spider monkeys, are the monkeys of the genus Brachyteles. They are closely related to both the spider monkeys and the woolly monkeys. There are two species, the southern and northern muriqui...

s. Each of the four species can be seen in national park

National park

A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...

s within Costa Rica, where viewing them in natural surroundings is a popular tourist attraction. The only park in which all four species can be seen is Corcovado National Park

Corcovado National Park

Corcovado National Park is a National Park on the Osa Peninsula in the South West of Costa Rica , which is part of the Osa Conservation Area. It was established on 24 October 1975, and encompasses an area of 425 km² . It is widely considered the crown jewel in the extensive system of national...

, on the Osa Peninsula

Osa Peninsula

The Osa Peninsula is a peninsula located in southwestern Costa Rica, in the Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific Ocean, at . The peninsula was formed geologically by a faulting system that extends north into California....

.

The smallest of the Costa Rican monkey species is the Central American Squirrel Monkey. Adult males average 0.8 kg (1.8 lb) and adult females average 0.7 kg (1.5 lb). The Central American Squirrel Monkey has the most restricted range of any Costa Rican monkey, living only in secondary forest

Secondary forest

A secondary forest is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a major disturbance such as fire, insect infestation, timber harvest or windthrow, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident...

s and partially logged primary forests on the central and south Pacific coast of Costa Rica, and on the Pacific coast of Panama near the Costa Rican border. In 2008, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) revised its conservation status to "vulnerable" after rating it "endangered" since 1982. The Central American Squirrel Monkey is most often 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...

 and Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.

The other three species have wider ranges within Costa Rica, each being found in forests over much of the country. The White-headed Capuchin, which has a range from Honduras to Ecuador, is the second smallest Costa Rican monkey. Adult males average 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) and adult females average 2.7 kg (6 lb). The Mantled Howler

Mantled Howler

The mantled howler , or golden-mantled howling monkey, is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is one of the monkey species most often seen and heard in the wild in Central America...

, with a range from Mexico to Ecuador, is the second largest monkey species in Costa Rica. Adult males average 7.2 kg (15.9 lb) and adult females average 5.4 kg (11.9 lb). Males make loud calls, especially at dawn and at dusk, that can be heard for several kilometers. Geoffroy's Spider Monkey

Geoffroy's Spider Monkey

Geoffroy's spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi, also known as black-handed spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, parts of Mexico and possibly a small portion of Colombia. There are at least five subspecies. Some primatologists classify the...

, with a range from Mexico to Panama, is the largest of the Costa Rican monkeys, with males averaging 8.2 kg (18.1 lb) and females averaging 7.7 kg (17 lb). It has long, slim arms and a long, prehensile tail. The IUCN has rated the White-headed Capuchin and Mantled Howler in the lowest concervation risk category of "least concern", and has rated Geoffroy's Spider Monkey as "endangered". Both the White-headed Capuchin and the Mantled Howler are commonly seen in Costa Rica's parks.

It is unknown why the Central American Squirrel Monkey has such a restricted range relative to the other Costa Rican monkey species. One theory is that the Central American Squirrel Monkey's ancestors arrived in Central America earlier than the ancestors of the other species. Under this theory, the squirrel monkey's ancestors arrived in Central America between 3 and 3.5 million years ago, but could not compete effectively when the ancestors of the other species arrived in Central America about 2 million years ago. The other species thus drove the squirrel monkey out of most of its original range. Another factor may be the Central American Squirrel Monkey's preference for lowland, coastal areas, which may make them more vulnerable to significant population declines due to occasional major hurricanes.

Two other monkey species are sometimes reported as living in Costa Rica, Geoffroy's Tamarin

Geoffroy's Tamarin

Geoffroy's tamarin , also known as the Panamanian, red-crested or rufous-naped tamarin, is a tamarin, a type of small monkey, found in Panama and Colombia. It is predominantly black and white, with a reddish nape. Diurnal, Geoffroy's tamarin spends most of its time in trees, but does come down to...

 (Saguinus geoffroyi) and the Panamanian Night Monkey

Panamanian Night Monkey

The Panamanian night monkey or Chocoan night monkey is a species of night monkey formerly considered a subspecies of the gray-bellied night monkey of the family Aotidae. Its range consists of Panama and the Chocó region of Colombia. There are also unconfirmed reports of its occurrence in Costa...

 (Aotus zonalis or Aotus lemurinus zonalis). The western edge of Geoffroy's Tamarin's known range is just west of the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

 zone, about 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) from the Costa Rica border, and thus reports of it living in Costa Rica are most likely erroneous. Confusion may have resulted from the fact that over part of its range Geoffroy's Tamarin is locally referred to as mono titi, which is a name also used for the Central American Squirrel Monkey in Costa Rica. Reports of the Panamanian Night Monkey living in Costa Rica are plausible, since the species is known to occur on the Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

 coast of Panama not far from the Costa Rica border. However, reports of it living in Costa Rica have not been confirmed by scientists.

Key

Common Name	Common name of the species, per Wilson, et al. Mammal Species of the World (2005)
Scientific Name	Scientific name of the species
Family	Family within New World monkey New World monkey New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Platyrrhini parvorder and the Ceboidea superfamily, which are essentially synonymous since... s to which the species belongs
Average Size – Male	Average size of adult male members of the species, in kilograms and pounds, per Campbell, et al. Primates in Perspective (2007)
Average Size – Female	Average size of adult female members of the species, in kilograms and pounds, per Campbell, et al. Primates in Perspective (2007)
Conservation Status	Conservation status of the species, per IUCN as of 2008
Range	Countries in which the species occurs;

Costa Rican monkey species

Common Name	Scientific Name	Family	Average Size – Male	Average Size – Female	Conservation Status	Range	References
Central American Squirrel Monkey 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...	Saimiri oerstedii	Cebidae Cebidae The Cebidae is one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. It includes the capuchin monkeys and squirrel monkeys. These species are found throughout tropical and subtropical South and Central America.-Characteristics:...	0.829 kg (1.8 lb)	0.695 kg (1.5 lb)		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.... , Panama Panama Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
White-headed Capuchin White-headed Capuchin The white-headed capuchin , also known as the white-faced capuchin or white-throated capuchin, is a medium-sized New World monkey of the family Cebidae, subfamily Cebinae...	Cebus capucinus	Cebidae Cebidae The Cebidae is one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. It includes the capuchin monkeys and squirrel monkeys. These species are found throughout tropical and subtropical South and Central America.-Characteristics:...	3.668 kg (8.1 lb)	2.666 kg (5.9 lb)		Honduras Honduras Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...  through Ecuador Ecuador Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
Mantled Howler Mantled Howler The mantled howler , or golden-mantled howling monkey, is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is one of the monkey species most often seen and heard in the wild in Central America...	Alouatta palliata	Atelidae Atelidae Atelidae is one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. It was formerly included in the family Cebidae. Atelids are generally larger monkeys; the family includes the howler, spider, woolly and woolly spider monkeys...	7.15 kg (15.8 lb)	5.35 kg (11.8 lb)		Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...  through Ecuador Ecuador Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
Geoffroy's Spider Monkey Geoffroy's Spider Monkey Geoffroy's spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi, also known as black-handed spider monkey, is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, parts of Mexico and possibly a small portion of Colombia. There are at least five subspecies. Some primatologists classify the...	Ateles geoffroyi	Atelidae Atelidae Atelidae is one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. It was formerly included in the family Cebidae. Atelids are generally larger monkeys; the family includes the howler, spider, woolly and woolly spider monkeys...	8.21 kg (18.1 lb)	7.7 kg (17 lb)		Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...  through Panama Panama Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...