Scientific Name: Cebus capucinus
Common Name: White Faced Monkey
Costa Rica Name: Mono Carablanco
What do they look like?
Size: A medium size monkey 46 cm (27 – 40 in) including tail. Males are lager than females
Weight: 2.6 – 3.8 kg (5 – 8 pounds)
Body: A black body, with white shoulders, neck and upper arms.
Head: White head with back on top of head and a pinkish face.
Tail: Long thick black prehensile tail
Colors and Patterns: Black and white monkey
What activities do they do?
Diurnal species spending their day searching for food and
Terrestrial/Arboreal: Mostly arboreal but does come down to ground
Happy on both land and in water
What is interesting fact about this animal?
Is the only monkey in Costa Rica that comes down to ground to move about forest and forage for food.
Is an intelligent animal, able to use sticks as tools
Inquisitive animal
What is their Social Structure?
Lives in groups that can range from a small group of 5 up to a large group of 35 or so. Large males defend the troop from predators and intruders. Highly social creatures
Will join together when hunting larger prey such as squirrels and to raid nests of birds.
Are territorial defending their home range
What do they eat?
Omnivore: eats fruit, flowers, buds, insects, birds eggs and small invertebrates
Forages from the ground level up to tree canopy
Opportunistic feeders as they search under leaves and logs, holes in trees, underneath tree bark.
Where do they live?
Location within Costa Rica: Widespread throughout country from Guanacaste to Osa Pennisula to the Caribbean coast.
National Parks: Santa Rosa, Guanacaste, Palo Verde, Carara, Manual Antonio, Tortuguero, Corcovado, Braulio Carrillo, Monteverde
Habitat: Prefers wet and dry forests but can be found in all forest types. Is highly adaptable to changing environment around them.
Elevation: Sea level to m (8,200 ft).
Why are they an important species to ecosystem?
benefit the forests by pollinating flowers and dispersing seeds in their droppings.
What threats do they have?
Hunting
Capturing for the pet-trade
Predators
IUCN World Status
Status:
Classification
Order: Squamata
Family: Iguanidae
