Brown Tufted Capuchin

Brown Tufted Capuchins are New World primates from South America. They are one of the most widespread species of primates in the neotropics. Like other capuchins, these are social animals, forming groups of eight to ten individuals, and are led by a dominant male. The Tufted Capuchin is more powerfully built than the other capuchins, with rougher fur and a short, thick tail. In the wild, they spend most of their time in trees. The goal of my study is to determine whether Brown Tufted Capuchins in zoos spend more time on the ground or off the ground.

I did my observations on the Capuchin Troop, which is composed of 7 monkeys, 4 males, and 3 females, ranging from the ages of 20 to 23 years old. Their enclosure contains different types of logs, ropes, boxes, rocks, and other materials that are part of their behavioral enrichment. Its measurements are 3. 81L, 3. 8W, 4. 57H and 8. 84L, 3. 8W, 4. 57H. Their diets consist of New World Monkey Chow and mixed vegetables. They are fed every morning before 10:30 a. m. and every afternoon after 2:30 p. m. My observations started on September 15th, 2010, and ended on October 7th, 2010.

I conducted them using the instantaneous sampling method, in which I recorded behaviors in three-minute intervals every 1 minute over an hour. I observed a different monkey every day, recorded every time it got on or off the ground, and how much time they spent in each. After concluding my 30 hours of observations and carefully analyzing them, I determined that the capuchin troop spends more time on the ground than off the ground. They spent 10 hours, 31 minutes, and 29 seconds off the ground and 11 hours, 13 minutes, and 31 seconds on the ground. The results I obtained are much different than the ones I would have obtained doing observations in the wild. Although they spend much time foraging on the ground, Tufted Capuchins spend most of their time on trees.

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REFERENCES

1. Article: Hass, M., Buzzell, C., Konick, A. J. , Phillips, K. A. 2003. “Social learning and the acquisition of tool use in brown capuchin monkeys” The Ohio Journal of Science pA-7.
2. Internet: Gron KJ. 2009 April 17. Primate Factsheets: Tufted capuchin (Cebus apella) Taxonomy, Morphology&Ecology. http://www.rollinghillswildlife. com/animals/c/capuchin-brown.

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