We have two groups of squirrel monkeys at Living Links, the WEST squirrel monkey troop and the EAST squirrel monkey troop. Both groups live with their respective capuchin monkey groups in our mixed species exhibits.
Unlike the capuchins who have lots of individual differences to help learn who is who, the squirrel monkeys are all very similar in appearance and for most people it would take too long to learn them by face. So that our keepers and researchers can make sure they are testing or caring for the correct individual, our squirrel monkeys wear special identifying necklaces! Each monkey has one or two coloured beads on their necklace and we learn which colours are for which monkey. The necklaces are specially made to be loose enough around the monkeys neck to not cause any discomfort, and will also automatically break apart if they catch on anything.
See if you can use our colour coded ID guides below to work out which squirrel monkey is sitting in the window of their cosy indoor enclosure or catching insects outside. Some monkeys have one bead, others have two of the same colour, while some have two of a different colour. Three monkeys have no bead necklace at all- two are the dominant males (Mani & Boa) who we can tell apart from others, and the third is Jasmin- an old female with an identifying wart on her nose!
The West Squirrel Monkeys:
The East Squirrel Monkeys:
