Central American Squirrel Monkey

Taxobox
name = Central American Squirrel MonkeyMSW3 Groves|pages=138-139|id=12100288]

---

image_width = 220px
status = VU
status_system = iucn3.1
status_ref = IUCN2008|assessors=Wong, G., Cuarón, A.D., Rodriguez-Luna, E. & de Grammont, P.C.|year=2008|id=19836|title=Saimiri oerstedii|downloaded=7 October 2008]
trend = down
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Primates
familia = Cebidae
genus = "Saimiri"
species = "S. oerstedii"
binomial = "Saimiri oerstedii"
binomial_authority = Reinhardt, 1872

The Central American Squirrel Monkey ("Saimiri oerstedii") is a squirrel monkey species from Central America. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama on the Pacific coast. Even within Costa Rica and Panama the Central American Squirrel Monkey's range is highly restricted. Within Panama its range is limited to the Northern Pacific tip near the Costa Rica border, and within Costa Rica its range is limited to the Central and Southern Pacific coast, primarily in Maunuel Antonio and Corcovado National Parks.

Description

The Central American Squirrel Monkey differs in coloration from squirrel monkeys from South America. While South American squirrel monkeys tend to be primarily greenish in color, the Central American Squirrel Monkey has a reddish brown back with grey legs and white undersides. There is a black cap at the top of the head, and a black tip at the end of the tail. The face is white with black rims around the eyes and black around the nose and mouth.

tatus

It was once believed that the Central American Squirrel Monkey was just a population of a South American species of squirrel monkey brought to Central America by humans. Evidence for this theory included the very small range of the Central American Squirrel Monkey and the large gap from the range of any other squirrel monkey species. However, a study of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA demonstrated that the Central American Squirrel Monkey is indeed a separate species that apparently diverged from the South American species long ago - at least 260,000 years ago and possibly more than 4 million years ago.cite book | author = Rylands, A.; Groves, C.; Mittenmeier, R.; Cortes-Ortiz, L.; Hines, J.| editor = Estrada, A.; Garber, P.A.; Pavelka, M.S.M.; Luecke, L. | chapter = Taxonomy and Distributions of Mesoamerican Primates | title = New Perspectives in the Study of Mesoamerican Primates| pages = p. 38| id = ISBN 978-0-387-25854-6 | year = 2006]

One popular theory is that squirrel monkeys did live in Columbia during the late Miocene or Pliocene and these squirrel monkeys migrated to Central America, becoming the ancestors of the current Central American species. According to this theory, the Guatemalan Black Howler migrated to Central America around the same time. However, passage through the isthmus of Panama later closed due to rising oceans, and later opened up to another wave of migration about 2 million years ago. These later migrants, ancestors to modern populations of White-headed Capuchins, Mantled Howlers and Geoffroy's Spider Monkeys, outcompeted the earlier migrants, leading to the small range of the Central American Squirrel Monkey (as well as the Guatemalan Black Howler). [cite book | author = Ford, S.| editor = Estrada, A.; Garber, P.A.; Pavelka, M.S.M.; Luecke, L. | chapter = The Biographic History of Mesoamerican Primates | title = New Perspectives in the Study of Mesoamerican Primates| pages = pp. 100-107| id = ISBN 978-0-387-25854-6 | year = 2006]

It has been estimated that the population of the Central American Squirrel Monkey has been reduced from about 200,000 in the 1970s to less than 5000.cite book|author = Hunter, L., Andrew, D.|title = "Watching Wildlife Central America"|year = 2002|pages = 148] This is believed to be largely due to deforestation, hunting, and capture for the pet trade. There are significant efforts within Costa Rica to try to preserve this monkey from extinction. [ [http://www.theboquetetimes.com/html/squirlmonkey.html Saving the Central American Squirrel Monkey ] ] [ [http://www.ascomoti.com/index.html Save the Mono Titi Manuel Antonio Costa Rica ] ] A reforestation project within Panama tries to preserve the vanishing population of the Chiriqui Province [ [http://www.saimiri.org/en -->] ] .

ubspecies

There are two subspecies of the Central American Squirrel Monkey:

* Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey, "Saimiri oerstedii oerstedii"
* Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey, "Saimiri oerstedii citrinellus"

"S. o. oerstadii" lives in the northern Pacific portion of Panama and the Osa Peninsula area of Costa Rica (including Corcovado National Park), while "S. o. citrinellus" lives in the Central Pacific portion of Costa Rica. Both subspecies are found primarily in secondary forests.

References

reflist www.saimiri.org reforestation for the las Panamanian Squirrel Monkeys

External links

*ARKive - [http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Saimiri_oerstedii/ images and movies of the red-backed squirrel monkey "(Saimiri oerstedii)"]
* [http://www.ascomoti.com ASCOMOTI] Foundation for Preservation of the Central American Squirrel Monkey (mono titi)
* [http://www.natureserve.org/infonatura/ Infonatura]