BROWN CAPUCHIN MONKEY

Did you know? About half of our Rainforest Expeditions guests see these playful primates!

Guests who stay at the Rainforest Expedition lodges in Tambopata, Peru go on Amazon jungle hikes with trained guides. They are always on the lookout for Amazon jungle wildlife and interesting plants. Most guests see three to five monkeys during their stay. The Brown Capuchin Monkey (Cebus apella) is one of the most common monkeys.

Brown capuchin monkeys are medium in size. Groups of ten or more individuals move through the sub-canopy of the rainforest in search of food. You will become fascinated by the human-like features on their faces as they inspect and probe the nooks and crannies of bamboo groves, bunches of palm nuts, and bromeliads.

Brown Capuchin Monkey Fun Facts

Found in the central and southwestern Amazon: This small to medium-sized monkey lives in much of the Amazon basin.

Also found with the White-fronted Capuchin: Another paler species of capuchin is also found at Tambopata. The White-fronted Capuchin, however, is much rarer than the Brown Capuchin. This species, the White-fronted Capuchin, is noticeable paler and tends to replace the Brown Capuchin at slightly higher elevations.

They often forage with Squirrel Monkeys: You’ll often find the Brown Capuchin and the smaller Squirrel Monkey together in the Tambopata rainforests. While large numbers of Squirrel Monkeys scamper through the trees in their search for insect prey, smaller numbers of Brown Capuchins carry out more methodical searches for food in the jungle vegetation.

Brown Capuchins are omnivores: Like people, this medium-sized monkey eats meat, fruits, and vegetables. Unlike people, they eat just about anything they can catch including insects, lizards, and bird eggs.

Named after capuchin monks: The Brown Capuchin and other Capuchin monkey species got their name by merit of their resemblance to the Brown-roped attire worn by Capuchin monks.

Opens hard nuts with stones: Brown Capuchin Monkeys use stones to break open hard rainforest nuts. After picking a palm nut, they allow it to dry for a few days or a week. Then they place it on a hard, fallen tree trunk and use a heavy stone to crack open the nut.