The squirrel monkey’s name comes from its unique face. It lives in the trees in the South American rainforest and sometimes eats meat. Squirrel monkeys form large groups of 40-50 monkeys but sometimes up to as much as a couple hundred.
The squirrel monkeys often pee on their hands and feet and rub their tails in fruit and other food. That gives the group a special scent enabling its members to recognise each other easily. They communicate with sounds which can be so high-pitched that we humans
cannot hear them.
At Odense ZOO, we give the monkeys food boxes which are difficult to open. Having to
work for their food stimulates their instincts.