squirrel monkey

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia

Any of several species (genus Saimiri, family Cebidae) of arboreal New World monkeys, found in groups of up to several hundred during the day in riverside forests of Central and South America. They eat fruit, insects, and small animals. They are 10–16 in. (25–40 cm) long and have a heavy, nonprehensile, black-tipped tail, 15–19 in. (37–47 cm) long. They have a small white face, large eyes, and large, usually tufted, ears. The short, soft coat is grayish to greenish, with yellow or orange arms, hands, and feet. The crown of the common squirrel monkey (S. sciureus) is olive or grayish; the red-backed squirrel monkey (S. oerstedii) has a black crown and reddish back.


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Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses

squirrel monkey
squirrel monkey Either of at least two species of small, diurnal, arboreal monkeys of tropical South America; it has thick, dark fur and a long, heavy tail. Saimiri sciureus has a cap of greyish fur; S. oerstedi has a black cap and reddish fur on... Read more
squirrel monkey
squir·rel mon·key • n. a small South American monkey (genus Saimiri , family Cebidae) with a nonprehensile tail, typically moving through trees by leaping. Read more
New World monkey
...species of monkey s (the platyrrhine ['flat-nosed'] monkeys) that inhabit tropical Central and South America. Platyrrhines...tamarins ; the titis, sakis, and uakaris; the spider monkeys and woolly monkeys; the capuchin monkeys and squirrel monkeys ; and the durukulis. Old ... Read more
monkey
...their own, the Callithricidae. The rest of the New World monkeys are classified in the family Cebidae. They include the...prehensile tail. Prehensile tails are found in the spider monkey and woolly monkey as well as in the howler monkey, the largest member of the family, which has a voice...miles. ... Read more
marmoset
marmoset Small, diurnal, arboreal monkey of tropical America. Among the smallest of the monkeys, marmosets are the size of small squirrels. They have soft, dense fur and sickle-shaped nails. Family Callitrichidae; typical genus Callithrix. Read more

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