Squirrel Monkey

General Info:

The squirrel monkey (saimiri oerstedi citrinellus), commonly known in Costa Rica as the Mono Titi, is an endemic primate native to Costa Rica's central Pacific coast.  It belongs to a genus of monkeys (Saimiri) found throughout the Amazon Basin and in the Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica and Panama.  The squirrel monkeys that live in Manuel Antonio National Park and surrounding areas are the only members of its sub-species left in all the world. 

Costa Rica’s squirrel monkeys have shown a great ability to adapt to changing environments. Their habitat has been on the decline for years.  Found in both primary and secondary growth forests, they are omnivorous, eating mostly insects and insect larvae complimented by small fruits.

Behavior:

They rarely descend to the ground, which means that fragmented forests isolate populations.  Increased development has led to the decline of habitat and has isolated forests. There are no biological corridors to allow the squirrel monkey to breed with other troops and interbreeding weakens the populations.

Status in the Wild:

In the Manuel Antonio area, there are only a few troops of squirrel monkey left, with no more than 1500 individuals remaining within their natural range.