SPROUT joined us in November 2024.
At 32 years old, Sprout is the matriarch of our capuchin troop. Her journey began in a Florida testing facility, but thankfully, she was never subjected to testing. Unfortunately, she was sold into the pet trade, living decades without a family of her kind. Now at Animal Tracks, she has a home where she can "monkey around" with seven other capuchins. While captivity isn’t ideal for any wild animal, giving monkeys like Sprout the chance to coexist with their own kind is vital for their well-being..
ORDER: PRIMATES
FAMILY: CEBIDAE
GENUS: SAPAJUS
SPECIES: APELLA
Capuchins are diurnal or day dwelling. They are arboreal, live in the trees. They move quadrupedally, by leaping and climbing. They are highly sociable and live in groups of around 8 to 15 individuals. Grooming is a way of taking care of the ones you love, but also climbing the social ladder. They live in a patriarchal society where the male is boss. They are omnivores and eat fruit, leaves, insects, rodents, and reptiles. They are polygamists. The female is pregnant for 150-160 days and normally has one baby at a time. The babies stop nursing at 9 months. Males mature at the age of 7 years, females, much younger, they can have their first child at the age of 4. Capuchins have a superpower, they are seed dispersers, which means they eat the seeds as part of the fruit they consume, and once they defecate, those seeds are ready to become plants and trees.
Threats
Habitat destruction. Jaguars, birds of prey and bushmeat, pet trade and entertainment industry.
Conservation Status
CE - Critically Endangered