Squirrel Monkey, actually.
You've probably noticed a theme here, so I'll flip the script a bit. Here's my reason for talking about Squirrel Monkeys.
Ok, I might have a favorite kitten from this litter. But she keeps purring for me, and I can't help cuddling more for those tiny purrs.
But, I named her after Squirrel Monkeys, which is another group of monkey types, and now I'm going to justify it by telling you how awesome they are. Even if they don't purr like my bitty-babe.
Squirrel monkeys are usually pretty small, weighing only 1-3 pounds, and have large tails that may not be fluffy, but are still pretty impressive. They live in South America, which makes them New World Monkeys, if that definition means anything to you. It does to me, but that's because it's something I've come across in my love of random knowledge. One of the interesting things about those two facts though, is that they are the only New World Monkeys that don't have prehensile tails, which means they can't grab things with their tails. Since the New/Old World Monkey distinction is based on where they live, these guys are definitely New World, but it's mostly the Old World that just have tails for balance.
This is a Humboldt's Squirrel Monkey, picture taken from the New England Primate Conservancy link below. They're also the ones to say that squirrel monkeys can be considered one of the most intelligent of the primates because their brain-to-body size is twice that of humans, and that they have 26 different calls, which is more than most primates have. Aside from humans, who figure out new sounds every day. Or, it seems like that.
This one comes from the Oakland Zoo link. They don't specify which subspecies this is, but it's a great picture. They do say that these guys can jump horizontally up to 2 meters. Which is about 6 times their body length. Or you jumping 30 feet. Wow.
Encyclopedia Britannica Kids is the source for this one. They're the ones that say I might be wrong about my little Squirrel kitten being the only one to purr because it's on the list of sounds they make. They also talked about how
seriously social these guys are, coming together in groups of up to 500, which is basically a large enough group that being exact is hard, so probably a guesstimate. Either way, these guys are a lot more social than I am or ever will be.
A-Z Animals, link below, is the first to state outright that these tiny monkeys are named for their speed and agility as much as their size, which is important. They've also got some great pictures, if you want to see more of these adorable monkeys. Another thing from them, and from others, is that these guys are pretty much omnivorous, in part because they eat whatever is around, but also because they don't always have access to a lot of food if the larger monkeys get there first.
So, now that I've listed out a lot of cool things about Squirrel Monkeys, and shared pictures of my adorable little Squirrel, is it ok for her to keep her name? Because she needs a name worthy of her, and these quick, acrobatic, brilliant, social little monkeys might be good enough.
Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it.
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