11 Things You Didn’t Know About Capuchin Monkeys

11. Capuchins Are Movie Stars

You may have never seen a capuchin monkey in the wild, but you’ve likely seen one gracing the big screen. Capuchin monkeys are often used in Hollywood films and are sometimes called the “organ grinder” monkey. Famous stars include Crystal the Capuchin, who was featured in numerous movies, including The Hangover Part II, George of the Jungle, Zookeeper, American Pie, and Night at the Museum. Other movies that cast these cheeky monkeys include Pirates of the Caribbean, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Doctor Doolittle.

10. Capuchins Love Company

Like many monkey species, capuchins are highly social and live in large groups of 10-35 animals. They communicate with one another through facial expressions, vocalizations, and grooming. Groups of capuchins (known as troops) are usually composed of a dominant alpha male, several adult females, subadult males and females, and babies.

Capuchins have one baby at a time and become fully mature at seven to eight years for males and four years for females. Females give birth for the first time at around six years of age and remain with their female relatives for their entire lives, while males leave the troop once they reach sexual maturity. The life expectancy for wild capuchins is 10-25 years.

9. Monkeys Don’t Make Good Pets

Despite what you may see on the silver screen, capuchins do not make good pets. These monkeys are social animals that need the company of other capuchins. They also need lots of room for exercise and plentiful mental stimulation. Without this, capuchins become unhappy and even aggressive. Capuchins also require a specific diet that is difficult to replicate in a captive setting. Feeding them an unbalanced diet can result in illness and developmental issues like bone disease.

Although capuchins can be kept in 25 states in the United States, it’s important to recognize that not all capuchins in the pet trade are treated ethically. Many capuchins are stolen from the wild at a young age before they are sold to be pets. Some are bred in inhumane conditions. Buying a capuchin perpetuates these cycles that are detrimental to the animals.

8. They Are Great Problem Solvers

Capuchins are often considered the most intelligent of the New World monkeys. In addition to catching frogs, they are adept at cracking open nuts. They are incredibly resourceful and use tools to solve problems. Capuchins in Brazil have been using stone tools for over 3,000 years, while monkeys in Panama often use stones to break open hermit crab shells, coconuts, and other hard foods. And it’s not just one or two clever monkeys doing the problem-solving —at one site in Panama, over 80% of the capuchins were seen using tools.

7. Capuchins Throw Rocks to Flirt

In addition to using rocks as tools, female capuchins use rocks for other purposes: To get attention from boys. One research study identified this behavior in bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus ibidinosus). Throughout the two-year study, several females in one troop of capuchins threw rocks at males during their proceptive period, when they actively solicit males for reproduction.

6. They Are Very Adaptive

Capuchins are New World monkeys, meaning they are native to South and Central America. The capuchin lives high in the canopies of almost any forest type or in mangroves. They are highly adaptive and have easily adapted to live in areas developed by humans.

5. Capuchins Can Swim

When capuchins travel through the forest, they move in a single-file line. But they don’t just stick to the treetops: capuchins forage in mangroves when the tide is low. They even catch frogs in the water. To do this, they wade or swim in the water. However, unlike the proboscis monkey they are not adapted for long swimming sessions.

4. Some of them Are Kidnappers

A gang of young capuchins are on the loose in Panama, the likes of which have never been seen before. The criminals: juvenile capuchin monkeys. The victims: infant howler monkeys. Over about a 15-month period, a group of five troublesome teenage capuchins routinely stole the infants of the other species. They did not harm or attempt to eat the kidnapped babies, and scientists are baffled as to the reason behind their odd behavior. Some believe it may be a misguided maternal urge or simply a behavioral imitation of sorts. The strange happenings certainly challenge existing knowledge of capuchin behavior.

3. There Are Several Capuchin Species

Capuchins fall under the Cebinae family. This family includes two genera (Cebus and Sapajus), around 28 species, and nine subspecies. The Cebus genus monkeys are gracile capuchins and the Sapajus species are robust capuchins. The white-faced and white-throated capuchins are perhaps the most well-known species, with their distinctive white faces and black bodies. However, capuchin species come in a range of colors and different sizes. Crystal the animal actress is a tufted capuchin monkey.

2. They Use Pee for Bath Water

Capuchins are known for a practice called “urine washing.” This is where capuchins pee on their hands and then use it to wash their faces. It is unknown why they do this, but some researchers believe it is a social cue to other monkeys, to either convey sexual desire, show submission to aggressive males, or appease female monkeys.

1. Capuchins Form Their Own Traditions

Behaviors vary from troop to troop, and each group forms its own social traditions. Researchers define a capuchin tradition as “a behavioral practice that is relatively long-lasting and shared among members of a group, each new practitioner of the behavior relying to some extent upon social influence to learn to perform the behavior.”

Some capuchins shove their fingers in other monkeys’ eyes. Other behaviors include hair pulling, tail and finger sucking, mouth grooming, and excessive sniffing. However, not all troops exhibit the same behaviors. These are different ways of reinforcing bonds within the group.