The squirrel monkeys are the New World monkeys of the genus Saimiri. They are the only genus in the subfamily Saimirinae. The name of the genus Saimiri is of Tupi origin, and was also used as an English name by early researchers.Squirrel monkeys live in the tropical rain-forests of South America, except in the southeastern coastal forests of Brazil.
Squirrel monkeys prefer primary and secondary forest, gallery forest and forest edge.They prefer the intermediate forest levels, but they can sometimes be found on the ground or in upper canopy levels.Squirrel Monkeys spend most of their lives in trees, and move from tree to tree by leaping.
Their bodies produce a musky secretion that is spread throughout their fur and tail. Squirrel Monkeys use the scent to mark territory or leave a trail for others in their troop to follow.
Squirrel monkeys are up to 12.5 inches long (body length), with a tail of approximately 16 inches. They have a slender, lithe build, with a short grayish coat and bright yellow legs. Their non-prehensile tail often curls over one shoulder when they are resting. They have 36 teeth, and their teeth are sexually dimorphic in that males have large upper canines.
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