BAILEY came to us as a very tiny Fish & Wildlife confiscation. She came from a celebrity who had been caught with her illegally and she was in premie diapers and infant formula. She had only known human beings as far as she could remember and was very similar in her schedule to a human infant. She was carried everywhere in a Baby Bjorn so that she would never feel alone. She was different from the other capuchins at Animal Tracks as she had a beautiful white face, whereas the others are all dark brown. She also made a purring noise when happy, whereas the other monkeys make a lip-smacking noise. The other monkeys tended to treat her like an alien, except for one, Marley. He was our one male monkey at the time and he fell for Bailey the minute he saw her. Once he accepted her, the other monkeys did too. We still call him Uncle Marley because of his kindness towards this orphan baby. Bailey is now four years old and an absolute clown amongst monkeys! She gets along with just about all of them. She is a little more picky with her people. The white faced capuchin in the wild has a very aggressive diet – everything either bites, stings or pokes, so Bailey has a rugged tenacity that the browns, which can be known as farmers, just don’t have. We are so happy to have Bailey as one of ours, as she adds color to the lives of everyone she meets!
ORDER: PRIMATES
FAMILY: CEBIDAE
GENUS: CEBUS
SPECIES: CEBUS CAPUCHINUS
Capuchins are diurnal or day dwelling. They are arboreal, live in the trees. They move quadrupedally, by leaping and climbing. They are highly sociable and live in groups of around 8 to 15 individuals. Grooming is a way of taking care of the ones you love, but also climbing the social ladder. They live in a patriarchal society where the male is boss. They are omnivores and eat fruit, leaves, insects, rodents, and reptiles. They are polygamists. The female is pregnant for 150-160 days and normally has one baby at a time. The babies stop nursing at 9 months. Males mature at the age of 7 years, females, much younger, they can have their first child at the age of 4. Capuchins have a superpower, they are seed dispersers, which means they eat the seeds as part of the fruit they consume, and once they defecate, those seeds are ready to become plants and trees.
Threats
Habitat destruction. Jaguars, birds of prey and bushmeat, pet trade and entertainment industry.
Conservation Status
VU - Vulnerable