One of the 18 monkeys on WAnimals

Mammals · Primates · Cebidae

Bolivian Squirrel Monkey

Saimiri boliviensis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It has the largest brain-to-body mass ratio of any primate, greater even than the great apes in proportional terms. It practises aunting, in which other females in the troop help raise the infants.

Weight

365 g – 1.1 kg

Size

22.5 cm – 37 cm

Lifespan

17 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Family group

Lives in small family groups with close bonds.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

3countries9parks3same family

Fun facts

  • It has the largest brain-to-body mass ratio of any primate known.
  • Other females in the troop actively help the mother raise her infant, a behaviour called aunting.
  • It lives in flooded forest of the upper Amazon basin.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type
Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment
Flooded, gallery and secondary forest of the upper Amazon basin
Birth weight
Exact weight at birth not found as a precise figure
Size at birth
Well developed, able to cling to its mother's fur from birth
Sexual maturity
Female: ~3 years | Male: ~5 years
Gestation / incubation
150-170 days (~5-5.5 months)
Litter / clutch size
1 young
Lifespan in captivity
Documented record of up to 30.3 years in captivity

Sources consulted: AnAge; Animal Diversity Web; Animalia.bio; New England Primate Conservancy; PMC; Dublin Zoo; The Animal Facts

Best time: All year round in the Amazonia of Bolivia, Peru and Brazil, by day; it moves in large, noisy troops through the midstorey.

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Where to watch it

Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.

Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Bolivian Squirrel Monkey — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

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