Cebus albifrons
white-fronted capuchin

Cebus albifrons is found in northwestern South America, including Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, eastern Peru, and much of Amazonian Brazil (Hill, 1960).

White-fronted capuchins are found in rainforest habitats from sea-level to 2000 meters (Hill, 1960).

Cebus albifrons is one of the smaller species of the capuchin group. The head is small in comparison to the body and the torso is slender with long, narrow limbs. C. albifrons has a complex color pattern. Overall they are light brown on the back with a lighter ventral side, often in shades of yellow and red. Dorsal fur is long and soft, which contrasts to the short and coarser fur of the venter. The crown of the head has a round, dark patch. Females may have a tuft of hair anterior to this patch. The face is covered by sparse, pale colored hair under which the peach colored flesh is visible. A thin border of white surrounds the face. A stripe, slightly darker than the body color, runs parallel to the spine. The limbs are a range of yellows and red browns. Sexual dimorphism occurs in the species with the males being larger than the females, the tail of the male may be lighter at the tip. Seasonal coat changes can occur; in the dry season, the coat is overall paler, in the rainy season the coat darkens (Hill, 1960).

As in other Cebus species, C. albifrons does not appear to have a breeding season, though most births may coincide with the dry season (Nowak, 1991). Peak mating periods are determined by geographic location. Females in estrus actively respond to males who seek to mate. It appears that males may be able to detect females in estrus by chemical cues in her urine (Smuts et al., 1987).

Cebus albifrons gives birth to a single young every 1 to 2 years, with a gestation period of about 150 to 160 days. If the infant dies shortly after birth, the female mates in the next breeding season, but if the infant lives, the female postpones breeding an extra year in order to take care of the infant (Smuts et al., 1987).

Infant care is not restricted to the maternal female in C. albifrons. Other group members will come to the aid of infants in distress and dominant males often care for infants. When infants are under 2 months old other females care for, nurse, and feed them (Smuts et al., 1987).

Males disperse from their natal group upon reaching sexual maturity, females remain with their natal group.

Group size ranges from 15 to 35 members. Groups are typically led by a dominant male and female. Aggressive interactions constitute only about 10% of social interactions. White-fronted capuchins are highly social and spend a lot of time in reciprocal grooming, however, dominant males and females receive a large proportion of grooming and rarely groom other individuals (Smuts et al., 1987).

The small size of white-fronted capuchins makes them vulnerable to larger predators. These capuchins have adopted a loud alarm call which scares some predators off and may warn others in the group about the presence of predators (Smuts et al., 1987).

Fruit is the main food and is generally prefered over other available foods. C. albifrons occasionally eats insects or other small invertebrates. According to a year-long study in Peru's Manu National Park, white-fronted capuchins only seek out invertebrates when traveling to fruiting trees, or when droughts reduce fruit availability. Other food sources in times of drought include palm nuts, figs, and nectar. (Terborgh, 1992).

White-fronted capuchins help to disperse the seeds of fruits they eat in their feces. This may carry propagules to an area that might not normally be reached, far from the perimeter of the tree. (Terborgh, 1992).

None known, Cebus albifrons do not raid human food crops.

Because they are restricted to rainforest habitats, populations of C. albifrons are threatened by habitat destruction due to logging and forest clearing. They are not currently endangered because their habitats continue to be fairly widespread and population numbers remain fairly high. White-fronted capuchins are also hunted for meat in some areas. While this hunting is not excessive and simply maintains the population at a slightly lower level, it is a potential threat (Smuts et al., 1987).

The social organization of the genus Cebus has been found to closely resemble that of old world monkeys. A 1966 study has proposed that this is the result of similar diets and risk of predation (Smuts, etal., 1987).