page_title: Capuchin monkey
section_title: Classification
hierarchical_section_title: Capuchin monkey / Classification
caption_attribution_description: Cebus apella group. Capuchin Monkeys Sharing
context_page_description: The capuchin monkeys are New World monkeys of the subfamily Cebinae. They are readily identified as the "organ grinder" monkey, and have been used in many movies and television shows. The range of capuchin monkeys includes some tropical forests in Central America and South America as far south as northern Argentina. In Central America, they usually occupy the wet lowland forests on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and Panama and deciduous dry forest on the Pacific coast.
context_section_description: The species-level taxonomy of this genus remains highly controversial, and alternative treatments than the one listed below have been suggested.
  In 2011, Jessica Lynch Alfaro et al. proposed that the robust capuchins (formerly the C. apella group) be placed in a separate genus, Sapajus, from the gracile capuchins (formerly the C. capucinus group) which retain the genus Cebus. Other primatologists, such as Paul Garber, have begun using this classification.
  According to genetic studies led by Lynch Alfaro in 2011, the gracile and robust capuchins diverged approximately 6.2 million years ago. Lynch Alfaro suspects that the divergence was triggered by the creation of the Amazon River, which separated the monkeys in the Amazon north of the Amazon River, who then evolved into the gracile capuchins.  Those in the Atlantic Forest south of the river evolved into the robust capuchins. Gracile capuchins have longer limbs relative to their body size than robust capuchins, and have rounder skulls, whereas robust capuchins have jaws better adapted for opening hard nuts. Robust capuchins have crests and the males have beards.
  Genus Cebus
  White-fronted capuchin, Cebus albifrons
  Ecuadorian capuchin, Cebus albifrons aequatorialis
  Cebus albifrons albifrons
  Shock-headed capuchin, Cebus albifrons cuscinus
  Trinidad white-fronted capuchin, Cebus albifrons trinitatis
  Cebus albifrons unicolor
  Varied capuchin, Cebus albifrons versicolor
  Colombian white-faced capuchin, Cebus capucinus
  Panamanian white-faced capuchin, Cebus imitator
  Kaapori capuchin, Cebus kaapori
  Wedge-capped capuchin, Cebus olivaceus
  Genus Sapajus
  Black-capped, brown or tufted capuchin, Sapajus apella
  Guiana brown capuchin, Sapajus apella apella
  Sapajus apella fatuellus
  Large-headed capuchin, Sapajus apella macrocephalus
  Margarita Island capuchin, Sapajus apella margaritae
  Sapajus apella peruanus
  Sapajus apella tocantinus
  Blond capuchin, Sapajus flavius*
  Black-striped capuchin, Sapajus libidinosus
  Sapajus libidinosus juruanus
  Sapajus libidinosus libidinosus
  Sapajus libidinosus pallidus
  Sapajus libidinosus paraguayanus
  Black capuchin, Sapajus nigritus
  Sapajus nigritus cucullatus
  Sapajus nigritus nigritus
  Crested capuchin or robust tufted capuchin, Sapajus robustus
  Golden-bellied capuchin, Sapajus xanthosternos
  * Rediscovered species.
caption: Tufted capuchin (Sapajus apella)
exif: {}