Squirrel Monkey
LUKE SKYWALKER arrived at Animal Tracks in December 2014 at five years old, coming from a local facility that had an abundance of squirrel monkeys. As an infant, he was injured while clinging to his mother, who was being targeted by a more dominant female. In the chaos, Luke suffered severe injuries, losing several fingers. Because of this, he had to be separated from the troop, as he would have continued to be picked on and left vulnerable. Despite his rough start, Luke uses 'the Force' every day—hence his fitting name!
Approximately two years later, a female squirrel monkey with alopecia and a missing eye arrived from the same facility. She became Luke’s perfect counterpart—Princess Leia. The two made an adorable, if slightly mismatched, pair. Sadly, Leia passed away in early 2024, leaving Luke as our lone squirrel monkey.
Despite his small size, Luke is full of personality, with a bold and dominant attitude. He is also unique among our primates as the only male who has arrived un-neutered. In the world of captive monkeys, this is rare unless they are part of a breeding program. And to top it off, his confidence is so undeniable that even our female baboon has a crush on him!
ORDER: PRIMATES
FAMILY: CEBIDAE
GENUS: SAIMIRI
PECIES: SCOURED
Squirrel monkeys are diurnal or day dwelling, arboreal or tree dwelling and can live in groups up to 300. Highly social with very large brains compared to body size, they also have an impressive monkey vocabulary. They have even been known to cooperate with brown capuchin monkeys in finding food or escaping predators. They do not socially groom like many other species of monkey and are polygamists, meaning many different mates. They are omnivores which means they eat both plants and animals. They prefer fruits, berries, flowers, nectar, insects, and invertebrates. They can detect food by colors with their well-developed eyesight. They breed September – November and after a 150 to 170 day pregnancy, babies are born starting in February. A single infant is born, and mama is the only caretaker. The baby is independent at 10 months and can reproduce at the age of 2 for females and 4 for males.
Threats
Destruction of natural habitat, pet trade, medical testing, and poaching.
Conservation Status
LC - Least Concern