Squirrel Monkeys: A Primate Study

The primate species that I am studying is the Common Squirrel Monkey, also known as Saimiri sciureus. Squirrel monkeys are considered frugivorous and insectivorous, meaning they mainly consume fruits and insects. However, they mainly forage for insects, but in times when insects as scare, they turn to fruits. Examples of insects include orthopterans (grasshoppers, crickets) and lepidopterans (moths, butterflies), while fruits include leguminosae (legumes) and sapotaceae (Lima and Ferrari, 2003). Other resources include nectar, bats, birds, and small vertebrates (Pinheiro et al., 2013). Studies about this species’ diet are abundant to my knowledge. Research about the Saimiri genus is more abundant than the species sciureus itself. I have noticed that squirrel monkeys are referred to as Saimiri sciureus boliviensis, which includes two species names rather than one. At one time boliviensis may have been …show more content…
One study conducted started following 60 individuals and ended up following 21 by the end of the study. This is mainly due to the physique of spider monkeys, small and arboreal. During wet seasons, they eat more insects, whereas during dry seasons they eat mostly fruits. Because of the change in the amount of individuals, there may be a factor of migration to different locations that provide better or different sources of food. So individuals are more likely to change locations based on their dietary needs as well as time of year. Squirrel monkeys tend to give birth during wet seasons during a time when resources are abundant, so the diet of young monkeys starts off with insects and progresses to fruits once the seasons change (Pinheiro et al., 2013). Although I couldn’t find studies that referred to the diet based on sex, I would imagine that female squirrel monkeys would eat more than males during time of pregnancy to support the health of the