Weight:
The Central American squirrel monkey weighs up to about 1 kg (2.2 lb).
Habitat:
Central American squirrel monkeys are found in primary and secondary forests and in cultivated areas. Disturbed and early successional habitats are advantageous because of their greater supply of preferred food.
Age to Maturity:
3 years (female); 5 years (male).
Gestation Period:
152 - 172 days.
Dispersal:
Young Central American squirrel monkeys are independent when they are 1 year old. Females are usually the ones who disperse.
Maximum Age:
Over 12 years (captivity).
Diet:
The diet of the Central American squirrel monkey consists mainly of insects, such as grasshoppers, and small berry-like fruits. Crops are raided when nothing else is available.
Behavior:
The Central American squirrel monkey is arboreal and diurnal. It rarely travels on the ground and is most active in the morning and late afternoon. A local population of Central American squirrel monkeys probably uses only 1 or 2 trees for sleeping sites.
Social Organization:
Central American squirrel monkeys have large group sizes (40 - 70) in continuous forest. Studies of these monkeys in Costa Rica indicate that they are highly egalitarian and non-aggressive, with neither males nor females appearing to be dominant over the other sex. These studies also indicate that female dispersal predominates, with females readily changing troops with no aggression from either resident male or female troop members. (Boinski et al. 1998)
Density/Range:
Density:
130 individuals/sq km (340 individuals/sq mi) (Panama) (Nowak & Paradiso 1983)
Range:
Home ranges of 17.5 hectares (44 acres) (23 individuals) and 24 - 40 hectares (60 - 100 acres) (27 individuals) (coastal marsh) were observed in Panama. Groups of 10 - 20 individuals lived in isolated patches of forest as small as 0.8 - 2.0 hectares (2 - 5 acres) [Such populations are probably not viable. See next section.] (Nowak & Paradiso 1983)
In continuous forest, the Central American squirrel monkey has a large annual range - more than 2 sq km (0.8 sq mi) (Boinski et al. 1998)
Minimum Viable Population:
Long-term monitoring of isolated populations of Central American squirrel monkeys indicated that local extinction was almost certain when a group contained less than 15 members and had less than about 30 hectares (75 acres) of available habitat (Boinski et al. 1998).