Lab Monkeys

Brown Capuchins (Cebus apella)

Capuchins are a New World monkey species native to the forests of South America. Brown capuchins have rust-colored fur on the body with dark brown legs, arms and tails. Their faces are light brown and have a dark brown cap that looks like the hair of a capuchin monk (from which they get their name). Capuchins are possibly the most intelligent of all the monkey species. They are clever problem solvers and are known to display tool-use both in the wild and in captivity.

Our lab works with a colony of captive capuchin monkeys. Our monkeys are socially-housed in a large enclosure equipped with a variety of naturalistic toys and branches. Our lab is committed to providing our capuchins with a comfortable and naturalistic environment, one in which they are able to establish natural social relationships. Our capuchin studies involve only non-invasive behavioral studies.

Meet our Monkeys

Because capuchins are a rather cunning species, we’ve chosen to name our monkeys after James Bond characters.

Felix is an adult male and currently our lab's alpha male. He was the son of the high-ranking female in his old group and has carried on the proud tradition. He has a pretty face and large body (some might say plump). Felix is very watchful and also excels at throwing and catching.

Auric is an adult male and Holly’s older brother. He has large blond arms, a more worn-looking face than Felix, with lots of freckles. He was once the alpha male back before Felix took over.

NickNack is an adult male. He is smaller than the other two males and always seems to have his tongue hanging out. He is very friendly with Holly and Honey and spends a lot of time with them grooming.

MayDay is an adult female. She is the daughter of Jill and the sister of James. She has a skinnier body and whiter face than the other females, with a very pointed tuft. She likes to lip-smack with human experimenters.

Jill is an adult female and our lab's high-ranking matriarch. She is the mom of MayDay, James, and a new baby. She can be an overprotective mother at times. She has a small body and a very brown flat tuft that looks almost like an 80's flattop.

Holly is an adult female. She is the younger sister of Auric. Her body is larger than the other females, and she has a light and pretty face. She is the mother of Honey and a new infant, but is still the colony’s lowest ranking female.

James is a teenage male. He is the son of Jill and the brother of MayDay. He was born here at CapLab and is growing fast. He's a bit spunky and always keeps you on your toes.

Honey is a juvenile female. She is the daughter of Holly (and probably Felix). She is very tiny and still has a lot of light coloring around her face. She was the second baby born in CapLab.