Capuchins and Squirrel Monkeys: Primates of Costa Rica (part 2)

 

White-throated Capuchin Monkey

My last blog looked at the largest of Costa Rica's four primate species: the Mantled Howler and Central American Spider Monkey. Now it's the turn of their two smaller relatives.

Capuchin Monkeys are a common sight throughout the Neotropics. Unlike the two species covered in my last blog, which both feed mainly in the forest canopy, Capuchins will forage on the ground as well as in the treetops. Their diet is wide-ranging, both plant-based (fruits, seeds, flowers and buds) and carnivorous (insects, as well as smaller birds and mammals). The name relates to a supposed likeness to brown-robed monks, a likeness that has also (bizarrely) named the cappucino coffee, although I can't see it myself. 

Their sole appearance on our trip was unexpected. All four of Costa Rica's primates prefer to live in forests, ideally primary rainforest. So we weren't expecting to see any in the lowlands of the south-west, where the forests have been largely cleared and farming is the dominant land use.

Wetlands near Cuidad Neilly - not an obvious monkey habitat

We were exploring the extensive wetlands near Cuidad Neilly, near to Costa Rica's border with Panama. Much of the land had been flooded for rice cultivation and the birding was simply sensational. This is a land of waterfowl, waders and herons.

Bare-faced Tiger-Heron near Cuidad Neilly

We found ourselves walking along a track bordering the Rio Corredor, which has been forced into an arrow-straight corridor through the wetlands. The track was flanked by narrow strips of trees and shrubs, and it was there that the Capuchins announced their presence by the sudden wave of activity, chattering and branch-breaking that accompanies a troop of monkeys on the move.

Riverside trees and shrubs - where we discovered the Capuchins

It was difficult to get a good view, as they were mobile and largely concealed by leaves and branches. Every now and again an inquisitive face would pop up in a gap through the vegetation, and it was a challenge to fire off a few photographs before its owner disappeared again.

Capuchin in pensive mood

Like Costa Rica's other primates Capuchin Monkeys have been under the scrutiny of taxonomists, which means that you will find different species names for them in different publications. I favour the IUCN Red List (website) which now calls them the Panamanian White-throated Capuchin Cebus imitator. Why Panamanian and not Costa Rican I do not know: they are found in both countries, as well as parts of Nicaragua and Honduras, but they appear to be more widely spread across Costa Rica than anywhere else. The species has been split from the (similar) Colombian White-throated Capuchin Monkeys found in eastern Panama and parts of Colombia and Ecuador. Sadly, both species are considered at risk, being classed as "vulnerable" by the IUCN due to concerns of forest loss as well as hunting for bushmeat and the pet trade. Their tendency to raid crops doesn't make them hugely popular with farmers, either. 

Capuchin Monkey peering from the forest gloom.

Unfortunately things are even worse for the fourth and final Costa Rican primate, the beautiful Squirrel Monkey - or, to be exact, the Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey Saimiri oerstedii. (Taxonomists don't appear to give much thought to producing snappy or memorable common species names, do they?) This is the rarest of Costa Rica's monkeys, and many visitors never get to see one. However, we were lucky to have brief views of a small group of at least five individuals moving high through the forest canopy in the Piedras Blancas National Park, a marvellous tract of lowland rainforest in the south-west of the country near the town of Golfito. 

Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey - Piedras Blancas National Park, Costa Rica

These are really neat little monkeys, with a distinctive black cap and - unusually for Neotropical primates - a non-prehensile tail. Not that this seemed to impede their movement through the canopy; our five were walking confidently along horizontal vines and creepers before we lost sight of them.

These Squirrel Monkeys occupy a very restricted geographical range (see the map here) being limited to the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica and western Panama. They are well-separated from the Squirrel Monkeys of South America, leading to speculation that they were brought to Central America by man - unlike the other three species described in my two blog posts. However, there are clear differences from the South American species, including a more orange-coloured back (which is not shown well in my photograph which was taken after a short and heavy burst of rain), which suggests that they have been established as a distinct population for enough time to evolve into a separate species.

Animals with limited geographical ranges are often at a greater risk of extinction because they are reliant upon a smaller number of protected areas (among other reasons). That is certainly the case with these Central American Squirrel Monkeys, which are classed as 'endangered' by the IUCN. It doesn't help that they are confined to the lowlands, so cannot benefit from the more extensive range of national parks and reserves along Cosat Rica's central mountain chain. You won't see any up at Monteverde, for example. Continued safeguarding of places like Piedras Blancas and Corcorvado National Parks is essential for their survival. As in my previous blog, I am waving the flag to increase awareness of conservation organisations that working to protect such habitats, such as the World Land Trust. If you are able to lend support then please do.

Sources

Emmons, L. H. (1997) Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide (2nd ed) Chicago: Chicago UP

Henderson, C.L. (2010) Mammals, Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Solano-Rojas, D. 2021. Saimiri oerstedii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T19836A17940807. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T19836A17940807.en. Accessed on 17 February 2025.

Williams-Guillén, K., Rosales-Meda, M., Méndez-Carvajal, P.G., Solano-Rojas, D., Urbani, B. & Lynch Alfaro, J.W. 2021. Cebus imitator (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T81265980A191708420. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T81265980A191708420.en. Accessed on 17 February 2025.