Squirrel Monkey Classification and EvolutionThe Squirrel Monkey is a small species of New World Monkey that is natively found in the forests and tropical jungles of Central and South America.
Measuring as little as 25cm from the top of the head to the base of their tail, these tiny primates are more than double that size when including their long tail. Unlike a number of other small monkey species, the tail of the Squirrel Monkey is not prehensile which means that it cannot be used to grip onto branches. Instead, their long tail is used to help the Squirrel Monkey to balance when climbing about on the high branches.
There are five species of Squirrel Monkey found in varying locations which are the Common Squirrel Monkey, the Black-Capped Squirrel Monkey, the Central AmericanSquirrel Monkey, the Golden-Backed Squirrel Monkey and the Black-Headed SquirrelMonkey. All Squirrel Monkey species resemble each other in appearance besides slight variations in fur colour and the region in which they live.