#cebidae

Black Capuchin (Sapajus nigritus), family Cebidae, Tapiraí, SP, Brazil

Ecuadorian Squirrel Monkey Saimiri cassiquiarensis macrodon

It is found in the western Brazilian Amazon, as well as Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It had been considered a subspecies of the Guianan squirrel monkey, Saimiri sciureus, but was elevated to a full species, S. macrodon, based on a 2009 study. Based on subsequent genetic research it was reclassified as a subspecies of Humboldt's squirrel monkey

A tufted capuchin (Sapajus apella) rests in a tree in French Guiana

Colombian white-faced capuchin (Cebus capucinus), family Cebidae

Capuchin monkeys often get a bad rap for being michivous, trouble-makers, or even downright evil, but there’s more to them than that. They are one of the only non-ape primates with documented tool use, and the practice goes back millenia. The monkeys at the Serra da Capivara National Park in Brazil use stones to crack open cashew nuts, and studies have even shown they may be experimenting over generations different sizes and shapes to best fit their food. The oldest tools found dated back 3,000 years ago.

(Image: A black-striped capuchin monkey cracking open a nut by Ben Cranke)

Panamanian white-faced capuchin (Cebus imitator)