Common Squirrel Monkey

The common squirrel monkey can be found primarily in the Amazon Basin, including territories in the countries of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela; a small population has been introduced to Southern Florida, Hawaii, Galapagos and many of the Caribbean Islands. A group of free-ranging individuals was spotted and photographed in 2009 at the Tijuca Forest in Rio de Janeiro - possibly the result of an illegal release or of an escape from the pet trade. This one were found on the edge of their expected habitat and on the border with the more rare black-capped squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis) clearly showing its widening its habitat. Since 2010 Squirrel Monkey is considere an invasive species in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest, and there were concerns about its role as a predator of eggs of endangered bird species. Those specimens were spotted by the river Guapore where they are not common but are spotted occasionally. The common squirrel monkey prefers to live in the middle canopy, but will occasionally come to the ground or go up into the high canopy. They like vegetation which provides good cover from birds of prey in the rainforest, savannah, mangroves, or marshlands.