Central American Squirrel Monkey

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Central American Squirrel Monkey[1]

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Cebidae
Genus: Saimiri
Species: S. oerstedii
Binomial name
Saimiri oerstedii
(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.

Contents

[edit] 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.

Central American squirrel monkey showing full body coloration
Central American squirrel monkey showing full body coloration

[edit] Status

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.[3]

One popular theory is that squirrel monkeys did live in Columbia during the late Miocene or Pliocene and these squirrel monkeys migrated to Central Amrica, 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).[4]

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.[5] This is believed to be largely due to deforestation, hunting, and capture for the pet trade.[5] There are significant efforts within Costa Rica to try to preserve this monkey from extinction.[6][7]

[edit] Subspecies

There are two subspecies of the Central American Squirrel Monkey:[1]

  • 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.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 138-139. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 
  2. ^ Cuarón et al (2003). Saimiri oerstedii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is endangered
  3. ^ Rylands, A.; Groves, C.; Mittenmeier, R.; Cortes-Ortiz, L.; Hines, J. (2006). "Taxonomy and Distributions of Mesoamerican Primates", in Estrada, A.; Garber, P.A.; Pavelka, M.S.M.; Luecke, L.: New Perspectives in the Study of Mesoamerican Primates, p. 38. ISBN 978-0-387-25854-6. 
  4. ^ Ford, S. (2006). "The Biographic History of Mesoamerican Primates", in Estrada, A.; Garber, P.A.; Pavelka, M.S.M.; Luecke, L.: New Perspectives in the Study of Mesoamerican Primates, pp. 100-107. ISBN 978-0-387-25854-6. 
  5. ^ a b Hunter, L., Andrew, D. (2002). Watching Wildlife Central America, 148. 
  6. ^ Saving the Central American Squirrel Monkey
  7. ^ Save the Mono Titi Manuel Antonio Costa Rica

[edit] External links

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