A cream and black capuchin monkey living in groups in the forests of Central and South America.

Life span
44 or more years in captivity.

Statistics
Females 32-40cm long with a 42-45.5cm tail and weighing 2.6-4.1kg. Males 33-46cm long with a 40-50cm tail and weighing 3.2-5.5kg.

Physical description
A small monkey with quite thick fur and a long prehensile tail. The back and top of head is black, but this grades to creamy white on the sides and belly. The ends of the limbs are also black. The face is white, with the forehead hairs longer, sometimes forming a ruff.

Distribution
From Belize south to North and West Colombia.

Habitat
Forests and mangroves up to 2,100m elevation.

Diet
Fruits and insects.

Behaviour
Capuchin monkeys are active in the daytime, and live in groups of 3-30, including at least one male. In small groups there is usually a sex ratio of about 1:1, but in large groups there are about 3 females for every male. They frequently groom each other, and have complex social lives, with alliances made between different individuals. The groups are not territorial, but are aggressive to members of other groups. They spend most of their time in the forest understorey and sometimes on the ground.

Reproduction
Breeding can take place at any time of year, but is usually timed so that births take place at the beginning of the rainy season. Courtship is complex, and is initiated by the female. Gestation is about 150 days, after which one (very rarely two) young is born. The baby is carried by the mother, and by other females in the group, and development is quite slow. It is around 2 years before the youngster is independent and the mother will breed again. Sexual maturity is not reached until 5-6 years.

Conservation status
Not currently threatened.