CreatureData

Black squirrel monkey

Saimiri vanzolinii Ayres, 1985

ENEndangeredprimates

The black squirrel monkey (Saimiri vanzolinii) is a species in the family Cebidae, order Primates. Recorded adults weigh 769.6 g to 799.5 g and live up to 28.6 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.

Black squirrel monkey (Saimiri vanzolinii)
Photo: Cláudio Timm · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the black squirrel monkey

Weight
769.6 g – 799.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
28.6 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
30.3 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
163 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
2.99 years – 5 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.07src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
By day (diurnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the black squirrel monkey live?

Not recorded

What is the black squirrel monkey?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The black squirrel monkey (Saimiri vanzolinii), also known as the blackish squirrel monkey or black-headed squirrel monkey, is a small New World primate, endemic to the central Amazon in Brazil. It largely resembles the female of the far more common Bolivian squirrel monkey, though the latter lacks the black central back.

This squirrel monkey has one of the most restricted geographical distributions for a primate, living in várzea forest in the confluence of the Japura and Solimões rivers. Its entire range is within the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve. It resides in the reserve with two other Saimiri species. It is a social primate that travels with other black squirrel monkeys in large troops within its habitat. Its small size makes it an easy target for its predators; however, it may resist predators when it travels in large troops.

Its species overall has positive effects on the economy.

From the Wikipedia article “Black squirrel monkey” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_squirrel_monkey&oldid=1356901493), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the black squirrel monkey endangered?

The black squirrel monkey is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.

How is the black squirrel monkey classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderPrimates
  5. familyCebidae
  6. genusSaimiri
  7. SpeciesSaimiri vanzolinii Ayres, 1985
Other names and names in other languages (20)
  • Black-headed squirrel monkeyEnglish
  • Black-headed squirrel monkeyEnglish
  • SwartkuifeekhoringaapAfrikaans
  • سعدان سنجابي أسودArabic
  • kotul VanzoliniůvCzech
  • Dunkler TotenkopfaffeGerman
  • Vanzolini-TotenkopfaffeGerman
  • Mono ardilla de VanzoliniSpanish
  • Mono ardilla de cabeza negraSpanish
  • mustapääsaimiriFinnish
  • Saimiri noirFrench
  • Saïmiri noirFrench
  • クロアタマリスザルJapanese
  • Zwart DoodshoofdaapjeDutch
  • sajmiri czarnaPolish
  • Macaco-de-cheiroPortuguese
  • Macaco-de-cheiro-pretoPortuguese
  • Macaco-esquilo-de-cabeça-negraPortuguese
  • Kara sincap maymunuTurkish
  • 黑松鼠猴Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the black squirrel monkey

Other species in the same genus Saimiri.

CompareBlack squirrel monkey vs Guianan squirrel monkeyBlack squirrel monkey vs Black-capped squirrel monkeyBlack squirrel monkey vs Central American squirrel monkeyBlack squirrel monkey vs Bare-eared squirrel monkey

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the black squirrel monkey?

An adult black squirrel monkey weighs 769.6 g – 799.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the black squirrel monkey endangered?

The black squirrel monkey is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the black squirrel monkey live?

The black squirrel monkey has a recorded lifespan of 28.6 years.

How long is the black squirrel monkey pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 163 days.

What kind of animal is the black squirrel monkey?

The black squirrel monkey (Saimiri vanzolinii) belongs to the family Cebidae in the order Primates.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Black squirrel monkey (Saimiri vanzolinii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-squirrel-monkey

MLA

“Black squirrel monkey (Saimiri vanzolinii).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-squirrel-monkey.

BibTeX
@misc{black_squirrel_monkey_2026,
  title = {Black squirrel monkey (Saimiri vanzolinii)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-squirrel-monkey},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}