Zoo Buddy: Capuchin Monkeys!

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - Meet the tufted capuchin monkeys at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo.

You can find two groups on exhibit right near the splash pad.

Lisa Taylor, General Curator at the zoo, says tufted capuchin monkeys are found in South America anywhere from Venezuela, Brazil, and Colombia.

“They’re smaller in the primate family, they have prehensile tails. They actually are a brown color and they have these cool little hair tufts behind their ears that kind of looks like a reverse mohawk when you look at them,” explains Taylor. “These guys are typically from a forest area, which can range anywhere from a deciduous forest area, a rainforest area or a mountainous forest area. They like it warm, and they like to be kind of close to water.”

She says you’ve probably seen these guys used in films and tv shows, including the movie Night at the Museum. They’re very intelligent animals, too! Taylor says they have an IQ around orangutans.

“These capuchins, in particular help out people that have disabilities that want to live independently on their own like paraplegics and things like that,” says Taylor. “So their intelligence level is so high that they can actually do things for people. But of course, you have to have a permit, you have to have an animal that has gone through a structured, schooling kind of deal.”

Don’t forget they’ve got a train and boat ride, an interactive budgie exhibit, a sloth exhibit, and much more!

The zoo is open every day of the week between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. You can stay up to date on their Facebook page or call them at for more information.

The zoo is located at 1405 Bernstein Park Drive in Monroe.

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