Bolivian Squirrel Monkey

We have a group of 11 squirrel monkeys here at Chessington which can be found in Amazu. This group consists of one male, Pierre, and 10 females. We also have subgroup of 2 squirrel monkey boys that live in Children Zoo that are very confident, chatty and cheeky! Squirrel monkey groups consist of both males and females and group size can range from between 20-500 individuals, although split into smaller groups when looking for food. They are arboreal meaning they spend most of their time high up in the trees, although occasionally scavenge on the forest floor. Squirrel monkeys are omnivorous, meaning they eat both insects and fruits and vegetables. Their diet plays an important role in their ecosystem through controlling insect populations and for seed dispersal.

FUN FACT: Squirrel monkeys use chemical signaling and vocalisations to communicate; they can make 26 iden­ti­fi­able calls, con­sist­ing of chirps, peeps, squawks, purrs, barks and screams.