Varied White-fronted Capuchin

Endangered

In accordance with IUCN criteria, a species is considered to be Endangered if it is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

Species data

Class

Mammalia

Order

Primates

Family

Cebidae

Scientific Name

Cebus versicolor

Reserve locations

Only identified by genetic analysis in 2012, Varied White-fronted Capuchin is a reddish-gold coated primate with a light-coloured breast and dark crowned head. Like most capuchins, their tail makes up about half their total length of around one metre. They have flattened noses with sideways pointing nostrils, a dark forehead and brown eyes.

Behaviour

Varied White-fronted Capuchins are omnivorous frugivores. They use their strong, grasping hands to pull off bark and find insects or rummage in leaf-litter. While on the ground they walk bipedally and hold out their arms to balance. They live in groups of up to thirty individuals and have just one offspring at a time, with no specific mating period. Some White-fronted Capuchins are known to use tools, including using leaves as drinking cups.

Habitat

Varied White-fronted Capuchin are restricted to the forests and palm swamps in the Rio Magdalena valley. They are able to live in both primary and secondary forest.

Threats and Conservation

Capuchins face threats from habitat loss and being killed for subsistence hunting. These are particularly worrying for this species as it has a restricted range. As a fairly newly identified species, a lot more work is needed to verify this species’ population threats.