#meatandsoydeforestationinbrazil — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #meatandsoydeforestationinbrazil, aggregated by home.social.
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Jaguars vs Cows: JBS Fuelling Biodiversity Collapse in Brazil’s Forests
A damning Global Witness investigation exposes how JBS, the world’s largest meat company, is directly linked to deforestation in some of Brazil’s most biodiverse ecosystems, including the Amazon and Pantanal. Despite greenwashing promises, JBS continues sourcing cattle from ranchers involved in illegal deforestation in areas that overlap with protected jaguar territory—pushing iconic species like the jaguar closer to extinction. The company’s failure to track indirect suppliers undermines greenwashing and zero-deforestation claims. JBS is financed by British Bank Barclays who made a whopping $1.7 billion from this decimation of the environment. This scandal highlights the urgent need to divest your wealth from Barclays until they stop funding JBS. Also in the supermarket you can #BoycottMeat and be #vegan for not only farmed animals but also for wild animals like jaguars and countless others. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
#Meat giant 🥩☠️ #JBS is driving #deforestation in the #Amazon🐆 ❌ Jaguars are losing their home to cows killed for burgers 🤮💰 Billions in profits to #Barclays and zero accountability 📣 Divest NOW! NO to #BigCat #extinction! #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/01/21/jaguars-vs-cows-jbs-fuelling-biodiversity-collapse-in-brazils-forests/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterGlobal Witness. (2024, May 15). Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/
A Global Witness investigation has found that jaguars, vital guardians of Amazonian ecosystems and critical apex predators — are under siege as Brazil’s forests are cleared at alarming rates. New findings from Global Witness show that over 27 million hectares of the jaguar’s historic habitat in Brazil have been razed for industrial agriculture, particularly cattle ranching, between 2014 and 2023.
A single supplier to JBS, the world’s largest meat company, illegally cleared over 1,200 hectares of protected jaguar habitat in just a decade. Across the jaguar’s range in Pará and Mato Grosso states, 75% of farms linked to JBS’s supply chain broke environmental laws in the past five years. Deforestation and habitat fragmentation have devastated jaguar populations, classified as ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Red List.
Jaguars are a keystone species, crucial to maintaining ecosystem health. Their decline ripples throughout the Amazon and Cerrado, triggering wider biodiversity loss. Meanwhile, financial institutions in Europe, China, and the US continue backing JBS despite its environmental breaches, profiting while forests fall.
With Brazil hosting COP30 this year, Global Witness is calling for world leaders to show real commitment. They must strengthen laws regulating supply chains and finance to protect remaining forests and Indigenous territories, or risk missing the 2030 deadline to halt deforestation.
Without urgent action, jaguars — once revered as guardians of the rainforest — could vanish forever.
The Global Witness investigation found over 27 million ha of jaguar habitat – an area larger than the UK – had been converted to agricultural land in the states of Mato Grosso and Pará as of 2023.
A road in Brazil which drives deep into jaguar habitat. Ricardo de O. Lemos/ShutterstockJaguar Panthera onca by Ecuadorian artist Juanchi PérezA jaguar in the jungle of southern Mexico. Mardoz/Shutterstock“We decided to investigate the loss of jaguar habitat driven by industrial agriculture because jaguars are a keystone species. They play a crucial role in stabilising ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity in areas such as the Amazon and Cerrado. When their territories are destroyed, the entire ecosystem suffers,” said Marco Mantovani, a Global Witness investigator leading the data analysis.
“Deforestation is a solvable issue, but it’s one where there is stalling, a lack of political will to actually meet the global agreement to end forest loss by 2030,” said Global Witness’s Reid, referring to the landmark pledge reached at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021.
She told Mongabay that she hopes that at COP30 countries will put forward plans “to actually deliver [on] their commitments when it comes to forest loss.”
British banking giant Barclays was a main financier of the megaproject and made an extraordinary $1.7 billion from financing JBS, surpassing 30 other global financial institutions bankrolling the meatpacker. A key way to take action is to not only boycott meat in solidarity to cows and jaguars, but to also divest your funds from Barclays.
Global Witness. (2024, May 15). Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/
ENDS
Read more about deforestation and ecocide in the palm oil industry
Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus
Capped langurs are found in India Bhutan Bangladesh and Myanmar, they are vulnerable from palm oil and other forms of deforestation. Take action for them!
World’s Wealthiest Drive Two Thirds of Global Warming Since 1990
Wealthiest people in USA and China responsible for 2/3 of global warming since 1990. Climate policies needed to target the richest people on the planet now!
Jaguars and Pumas Eat More Monkeys in Damaged Forests
In fragmented forests of Mexico, big cats find it hard to locate prey ungulates instead seeking tree-dwelling #monkeys – that’s bad news for primates!
Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque
Mountain Tapirs are the most threatened large mammals of the northern Andes, hunting, climate change and mining are threats, take action and boycott gold!
Seeing Forest As Merely A Carbon “Commodity”: Dangerous Greenwashing
Commodifying forests as merely an investment for ‘carbon credits’ has many dangerous loopholes that human rights to indigenous peoples, take action!
Load more posts
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,176 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Barclays #bigCat #bigcat #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #corruption #deforestation #extinction #Jaguar #JaguarPantheraOnca #Jaguars #JBS #meat #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation #News #PalmOil #vegan
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Jaguars vs Cows: JBS Fuelling Biodiversity Collapse in Brazil’s Forests
A damning Global Witness investigation exposes how JBS, the world’s largest meat company, is directly linked to deforestation in some of Brazil’s most biodiverse ecosystems, including the Amazon and Pantanal. Despite greenwashing promises, JBS continues sourcing cattle from ranchers involved in illegal deforestation in areas that overlap with protected jaguar territory—pushing iconic species like the jaguar closer to extinction. The company’s failure to track indirect suppliers undermines greenwashing and zero-deforestation claims. JBS is financed by British Bank Barclays who made a whopping $1.7 billion from this decimation of the environment. This scandal highlights the urgent need to divest your wealth from Barclays until they stop funding JBS. Also in the supermarket you can #BoycottMeat and be #vegan for not only farmed animals but also for wild animals like jaguars and countless others. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
#Meat giant 🥩☠️ #JBS is driving #deforestation in the #Amazon🐆 ❌ Jaguars are losing their home to cows killed for burgers 🤮💰 Billions in profits to #Barclays and zero accountability 📣 Divest NOW! NO to #BigCat #extinction! #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/01/21/jaguars-vs-cows-jbs-fuelling-biodiversity-collapse-in-brazils-forests/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterGlobal Witness. (2024, May 15). Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/
A Global Witness investigation has found that jaguars, vital guardians of Amazonian ecosystems and critical apex predators — are under siege as Brazil’s forests are cleared at alarming rates. New findings from Global Witness show that over 27 million hectares of the jaguar’s historic habitat in Brazil have been razed for industrial agriculture, particularly cattle ranching, between 2014 and 2023.
A single supplier to JBS, the world’s largest meat company, illegally cleared over 1,200 hectares of protected jaguar habitat in just a decade. Across the jaguar’s range in Pará and Mato Grosso states, 75% of farms linked to JBS’s supply chain broke environmental laws in the past five years. Deforestation and habitat fragmentation have devastated jaguar populations, classified as ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Red List.
Jaguars are a keystone species, crucial to maintaining ecosystem health. Their decline ripples throughout the Amazon and Cerrado, triggering wider biodiversity loss. Meanwhile, financial institutions in Europe, China, and the US continue backing JBS despite its environmental breaches, profiting while forests fall.
With Brazil hosting COP30 this year, Global Witness is calling for world leaders to show real commitment. They must strengthen laws regulating supply chains and finance to protect remaining forests and Indigenous territories, or risk missing the 2030 deadline to halt deforestation.
Without urgent action, jaguars — once revered as guardians of the rainforest — could vanish forever.
The Global Witness investigation found over 27 million ha of jaguar habitat – an area larger than the UK – had been converted to agricultural land in the states of Mato Grosso and Pará as of 2023.
A road in Brazil which drives deep into jaguar habitat. Ricardo de O. Lemos/ShutterstockJaguar Panthera onca by Ecuadorian artist Juanchi PérezA jaguar in the jungle of southern Mexico. Mardoz/Shutterstock“We decided to investigate the loss of jaguar habitat driven by industrial agriculture because jaguars are a keystone species. They play a crucial role in stabilising ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity in areas such as the Amazon and Cerrado. When their territories are destroyed, the entire ecosystem suffers,” said Marco Mantovani, a Global Witness investigator leading the data analysis.
“Deforestation is a solvable issue, but it’s one where there is stalling, a lack of political will to actually meet the global agreement to end forest loss by 2030,” said Global Witness’s Reid, referring to the landmark pledge reached at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021.
She told Mongabay that she hopes that at COP30 countries will put forward plans “to actually deliver [on] their commitments when it comes to forest loss.”
British banking giant Barclays was a main financier of the megaproject and made an extraordinary $1.7 billion from financing JBS, surpassing 30 other global financial institutions bankrolling the meatpacker. A key way to take action is to not only boycott meat in solidarity to cows and jaguars, but to also divest your funds from Barclays.
Global Witness. (2024, May 15). Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/
ENDS
Read more about deforestation and ecocide in the palm oil industry
Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus
Capped langurs are found in India Bhutan Bangladesh and Myanmar, they are vulnerable from palm oil and other forms of deforestation. Take action for them!
World’s Wealthiest Drive Two Thirds of Global Warming Since 1990
Wealthiest people in USA and China responsible for 2/3 of global warming since 1990. Climate policies needed to target the richest people on the planet now!
Jaguars and Pumas Eat More Monkeys in Damaged Forests
In fragmented forests of Mexico, big cats find it hard to locate prey ungulates instead seeking tree-dwelling #monkeys – that’s bad news for primates!
Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque
Mountain Tapirs are the most threatened large mammals of the northern Andes, hunting, climate change and mining are threats, take action and boycott gold!
Seeing Forest As Merely A Carbon “Commodity”: Dangerous Greenwashing
Commodifying forests as merely an investment for ‘carbon credits’ has many dangerous loopholes that human rights to indigenous peoples, take action!
Load more posts
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,176 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Barclays #bigCat #bigcat #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #corruption #deforestation #extinction #Jaguar #JaguarPantheraOnca #Jaguars #JBS #meat #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation #News #PalmOil #vegan
-
Jaguars vs Cows: JBS Fuelling Biodiversity Collapse in Brazil’s Forests
A damning Global Witness investigation exposes how JBS, the world’s largest meat company, is directly linked to deforestation in some of Brazil’s most biodiverse ecosystems, including the Amazon and Pantanal. Despite greenwashing promises, JBS continues sourcing cattle from ranchers involved in illegal deforestation in areas that overlap with protected jaguar territory—pushing iconic species like the jaguar closer to extinction. The company’s failure to track indirect suppliers undermines greenwashing and zero-deforestation claims. JBS is financed by British Bank Barclays who made a whopping $1.7 billion from this decimation of the environment. This scandal highlights the urgent need to divest your wealth from Barclays until they stop funding JBS. Also in the supermarket you can #BoycottMeat and be #vegan for not only farmed animals but also for wild animals like jaguars and countless others. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
#Meat giant 🥩☠️ #JBS is driving #deforestation in the #Amazon🐆 ❌ Jaguars are losing their home to cows killed for burgers 🤮💰 Billions in profits to #Barclays and zero accountability 📣 Divest NOW! NO to #BigCat #extinction! #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/01/21/jaguars-vs-cows-jbs-fuelling-biodiversity-collapse-in-brazils-forests/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterGlobal Witness. (2024, May 15). Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/
A Global Witness investigation has found that jaguars, vital guardians of Amazonian ecosystems and critical apex predators — are under siege as Brazil’s forests are cleared at alarming rates. New findings from Global Witness show that over 27 million hectares of the jaguar’s historic habitat in Brazil have been razed for industrial agriculture, particularly cattle ranching, between 2014 and 2023.
A single supplier to JBS, the world’s largest meat company, illegally cleared over 1,200 hectares of protected jaguar habitat in just a decade. Across the jaguar’s range in Pará and Mato Grosso states, 75% of farms linked to JBS’s supply chain broke environmental laws in the past five years. Deforestation and habitat fragmentation have devastated jaguar populations, classified as ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Red List.
Jaguars are a keystone species, crucial to maintaining ecosystem health. Their decline ripples throughout the Amazon and Cerrado, triggering wider biodiversity loss. Meanwhile, financial institutions in Europe, China, and the US continue backing JBS despite its environmental breaches, profiting while forests fall.
With Brazil hosting COP30 this year, Global Witness is calling for world leaders to show real commitment. They must strengthen laws regulating supply chains and finance to protect remaining forests and Indigenous territories, or risk missing the 2030 deadline to halt deforestation.
Without urgent action, jaguars — once revered as guardians of the rainforest — could vanish forever.
The Global Witness investigation found over 27 million ha of jaguar habitat – an area larger than the UK – had been converted to agricultural land in the states of Mato Grosso and Pará as of 2023.
A road in Brazil which drives deep into jaguar habitat. Ricardo de O. Lemos/ShutterstockJaguar Panthera onca by Ecuadorian artist Juanchi PérezA jaguar in the jungle of southern Mexico. Mardoz/Shutterstock“We decided to investigate the loss of jaguar habitat driven by industrial agriculture because jaguars are a keystone species. They play a crucial role in stabilising ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity in areas such as the Amazon and Cerrado. When their territories are destroyed, the entire ecosystem suffers,” said Marco Mantovani, a Global Witness investigator leading the data analysis.
“Deforestation is a solvable issue, but it’s one where there is stalling, a lack of political will to actually meet the global agreement to end forest loss by 2030,” said Global Witness’s Reid, referring to the landmark pledge reached at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021.
She told Mongabay that she hopes that at COP30 countries will put forward plans “to actually deliver [on] their commitments when it comes to forest loss.”
British banking giant Barclays was a main financier of the megaproject and made an extraordinary $1.7 billion from financing JBS, surpassing 30 other global financial institutions bankrolling the meatpacker. A key way to take action is to not only boycott meat in solidarity to cows and jaguars, but to also divest your funds from Barclays.
Global Witness. (2024, May 15). Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/
ENDS
Read more about deforestation and ecocide in the palm oil industry
Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus
Capped langurs are found in India Bhutan Bangladesh and Myanmar, they are vulnerable from palm oil and other forms of deforestation. Take action for them!
World’s Wealthiest Drive Two Thirds of Global Warming Since 1990
Wealthiest people in USA and China responsible for 2/3 of global warming since 1990. Climate policies needed to target the richest people on the planet now!
Jaguars and Pumas Eat More Monkeys in Damaged Forests
In fragmented forests of Mexico, big cats find it hard to locate prey ungulates instead seeking tree-dwelling #monkeys – that’s bad news for primates!
Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque
Mountain Tapirs are the most threatened large mammals of the northern Andes, hunting, climate change and mining are threats, take action and boycott gold!
Seeing Forest As Merely A Carbon “Commodity”: Dangerous Greenwashing
Commodifying forests as merely an investment for ‘carbon credits’ has many dangerous loopholes that human rights to indigenous peoples, take action!
Load more posts
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,176 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Barclays #bigCat #bigcat #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #corruption #deforestation #extinction #Jaguar #JaguarPantheraOnca #Jaguars #JBS #meat #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation #News #PalmOil #vegan
-
Jaguars vs Cows: JBS Fuelling Biodiversity Collapse in Brazil’s Forests
A damning Global Witness investigation exposes how JBS, the world’s largest meat company, is directly linked to deforestation in some of Brazil’s most biodiverse ecosystems, including the Amazon and Pantanal. Despite greenwashing promises, JBS continues sourcing cattle from ranchers involved in illegal deforestation in areas that overlap with protected jaguar territory—pushing iconic species like the jaguar closer to extinction. The company’s failure to track indirect suppliers undermines greenwashing and zero-deforestation claims. JBS is financed by British Bank Barclays who made a whopping $1.7 billion from this decimation of the environment. This scandal highlights the urgent need to divest your wealth from Barclays until they stop funding JBS. Also in the supermarket you can #BoycottMeat and be #vegan for not only farmed animals but also for wild animals like jaguars and countless others. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
#Meat giant 🥩☠️ #JBS is driving #deforestation in the #Amazon🐆 ❌ Jaguars are losing their home to cows killed for burgers 🤮💰 Billions in profits to #Barclays and zero accountability 📣 Divest NOW! NO to #BigCat #extinction! #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/01/21/jaguars-vs-cows-jbs-fuelling-biodiversity-collapse-in-brazils-forests/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterGlobal Witness. (2024, May 15). Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/
A Global Witness investigation has found that jaguars, vital guardians of Amazonian ecosystems and critical apex predators — are under siege as Brazil’s forests are cleared at alarming rates. New findings from Global Witness show that over 27 million hectares of the jaguar’s historic habitat in Brazil have been razed for industrial agriculture, particularly cattle ranching, between 2014 and 2023.
A single supplier to JBS, the world’s largest meat company, illegally cleared over 1,200 hectares of protected jaguar habitat in just a decade. Across the jaguar’s range in Pará and Mato Grosso states, 75% of farms linked to JBS’s supply chain broke environmental laws in the past five years. Deforestation and habitat fragmentation have devastated jaguar populations, classified as ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Red List.
Jaguars are a keystone species, crucial to maintaining ecosystem health. Their decline ripples throughout the Amazon and Cerrado, triggering wider biodiversity loss. Meanwhile, financial institutions in Europe, China, and the US continue backing JBS despite its environmental breaches, profiting while forests fall.
With Brazil hosting COP30 this year, Global Witness is calling for world leaders to show real commitment. They must strengthen laws regulating supply chains and finance to protect remaining forests and Indigenous territories, or risk missing the 2030 deadline to halt deforestation.
Without urgent action, jaguars — once revered as guardians of the rainforest — could vanish forever.
The Global Witness investigation found over 27 million ha of jaguar habitat – an area larger than the UK – had been converted to agricultural land in the states of Mato Grosso and Pará as of 2023.
A road in Brazil which drives deep into jaguar habitat. Ricardo de O. Lemos/ShutterstockJaguar Panthera onca by Ecuadorian artist Juanchi PérezA jaguar in the jungle of southern Mexico. Mardoz/Shutterstock“We decided to investigate the loss of jaguar habitat driven by industrial agriculture because jaguars are a keystone species. They play a crucial role in stabilising ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity in areas such as the Amazon and Cerrado. When their territories are destroyed, the entire ecosystem suffers,” said Marco Mantovani, a Global Witness investigator leading the data analysis.
“Deforestation is a solvable issue, but it’s one where there is stalling, a lack of political will to actually meet the global agreement to end forest loss by 2030,” said Global Witness’s Reid, referring to the landmark pledge reached at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021.
She told Mongabay that she hopes that at COP30 countries will put forward plans “to actually deliver [on] their commitments when it comes to forest loss.”
British banking giant Barclays was a main financier of the megaproject and made an extraordinary $1.7 billion from financing JBS, surpassing 30 other global financial institutions bankrolling the meatpacker. A key way to take action is to not only boycott meat in solidarity to cows and jaguars, but to also divest your funds from Barclays.
Global Witness. (2024, May 15). Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/
ENDS
Read more about deforestation and ecocide in the palm oil industry
Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus
Capped langurs are found in India Bhutan Bangladesh and Myanmar, they are vulnerable from palm oil and other forms of deforestation. Take action for them!
World’s Wealthiest Drive Two Thirds of Global Warming Since 1990
Wealthiest people in USA and China responsible for 2/3 of global warming since 1990. Climate policies needed to target the richest people on the planet now!
Jaguars and Pumas Eat More Monkeys in Damaged Forests
In fragmented forests of Mexico, big cats find it hard to locate prey ungulates instead seeking tree-dwelling #monkeys – that’s bad news for primates!
Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque
Mountain Tapirs are the most threatened large mammals of the northern Andes, hunting, climate change and mining are threats, take action and boycott gold!
Seeing Forest As Merely A Carbon “Commodity”: Dangerous Greenwashing
Commodifying forests as merely an investment for ‘carbon credits’ has many dangerous loopholes that human rights to indigenous peoples, take action!
Load more posts
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,176 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Barclays #bigCat #bigcat #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #corruption #deforestation #extinction #Jaguar #JaguarPantheraOnca #Jaguars #JBS #meat #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation #News #PalmOil #vegan
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Jaguars vs Cows: JBS Fuelling Biodiversity Collapse in Brazil’s Forests
A damning Global Witness investigation exposes how JBS, the world’s largest meat company, is directly linked to deforestation in some of Brazil’s most biodiverse ecosystems, including the Amazon and Pantanal. Despite greenwashing promises, JBS continues sourcing cattle from ranchers involved in illegal deforestation in areas that overlap with protected jaguar territory—pushing iconic species like the jaguar closer to extinction. The company’s failure to track indirect suppliers undermines greenwashing and zero-deforestation claims. JBS is financed by British Bank Barclays who made a whopping $1.7 billion from this decimation of the environment. This scandal highlights the urgent need to divest your wealth from Barclays until they stop funding JBS. Also in the supermarket you can #BoycottMeat and be #vegan for not only farmed animals but also for wild animals like jaguars and countless others. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
#Meat giant 🥩☠️ #JBS is driving #deforestation in the #Amazon🐆 ❌ Jaguars are losing their home to cows killed for burgers 🤮💰 Billions in profits to #Barclays and zero accountability 📣 Divest NOW! NO to #BigCat #extinction! #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/01/21/jaguars-vs-cows-jbs-fuelling-biodiversity-collapse-in-brazils-forests/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterGlobal Witness. (2024, May 15). Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/
A Global Witness investigation has found that jaguars, vital guardians of Amazonian ecosystems and critical apex predators — are under siege as Brazil’s forests are cleared at alarming rates. New findings from Global Witness show that over 27 million hectares of the jaguar’s historic habitat in Brazil have been razed for industrial agriculture, particularly cattle ranching, between 2014 and 2023.
A single supplier to JBS, the world’s largest meat company, illegally cleared over 1,200 hectares of protected jaguar habitat in just a decade. Across the jaguar’s range in Pará and Mato Grosso states, 75% of farms linked to JBS’s supply chain broke environmental laws in the past five years. Deforestation and habitat fragmentation have devastated jaguar populations, classified as ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Red List.
Jaguars are a keystone species, crucial to maintaining ecosystem health. Their decline ripples throughout the Amazon and Cerrado, triggering wider biodiversity loss. Meanwhile, financial institutions in Europe, China, and the US continue backing JBS despite its environmental breaches, profiting while forests fall.
With Brazil hosting COP30 this year, Global Witness is calling for world leaders to show real commitment. They must strengthen laws regulating supply chains and finance to protect remaining forests and Indigenous territories, or risk missing the 2030 deadline to halt deforestation.
Without urgent action, jaguars — once revered as guardians of the rainforest — could vanish forever.
The Global Witness investigation found over 27 million ha of jaguar habitat – an area larger than the UK – had been converted to agricultural land in the states of Mato Grosso and Pará as of 2023.
A road in Brazil which drives deep into jaguar habitat. Ricardo de O. Lemos/ShutterstockJaguar Panthera onca by Ecuadorian artist Juanchi PérezA jaguar in the jungle of southern Mexico. Mardoz/Shutterstock“We decided to investigate the loss of jaguar habitat driven by industrial agriculture because jaguars are a keystone species. They play a crucial role in stabilising ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity in areas such as the Amazon and Cerrado. When their territories are destroyed, the entire ecosystem suffers,” said Marco Mantovani, a Global Witness investigator leading the data analysis.
“Deforestation is a solvable issue, but it’s one where there is stalling, a lack of political will to actually meet the global agreement to end forest loss by 2030,” said Global Witness’s Reid, referring to the landmark pledge reached at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021.
She told Mongabay that she hopes that at COP30 countries will put forward plans “to actually deliver [on] their commitments when it comes to forest loss.”
British banking giant Barclays was a main financier of the megaproject and made an extraordinary $1.7 billion from financing JBS, surpassing 30 other global financial institutions bankrolling the meatpacker. A key way to take action is to not only boycott meat in solidarity to cows and jaguars, but to also divest your funds from Barclays.
Global Witness. (2024, May 15). Jaguars vs cows: The biodiversity crisis under JBS’s shadow. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/jaguars-vs-cows-the-biodiversity-crisis-under-jbs-shadow/
ENDS
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The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
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5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Barclays #bigCat #bigcat #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #corruption #deforestation #extinction #Jaguar #JaguarPantheraOnca #Jaguars #JBS #meat #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation #News #PalmOil #vegan
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Finance giants fuel $8.9 trillion deforestation economy
Global Canopy’s Forest 500 report reveals that 150 of the world’s largest financial institutions invested nearly $9 trillion in deforestation-linked industries during 2024, with six out of ten firms lacking any public deforestation policies. The analysis tracked $8.9 trillion in direct and indirect financial support for 500 companies exposed to forest-risk commodities including palm oil, soy, beef, cocoa, and timber, with $864 billion going to businesses making no public commitments against deforestation. Financial titans Vanguard, BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase alone accounted for more than one-fifth of total funding at $1.6 trillion. The EU’s upcoming Deforestation Regulation #EUDR will ban imports of products linked to forest destruction from December 30, potentially locking out companies without robust policies. Urgent action needed to redirect finance away from forest destruction and toward Indigenous-led forest protection. Support a strong and strict EUDR to safeguard forests, be vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
💰☠️ $8.9 TRILLION funds deforestation! BlackRock, Vanguard, JPMorgan lead with $1.6T funding #palmoil, #soy and #meat #deforestation 🌴🔥 Support the #EUDR ban Dec 30 ⛔️ #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2025/12/17/finance-giants-fuel-8-9-trillion-deforestation-economy/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterSustainable Times. (2024). Global finance giants under fire for fueling an $8.9 trillion ‘deforestation economy’ in 2024. Sustainable Times. https://www.sustainabletimes.co.uk/post/global-finance-giants-under-fire-for-fueling-an-8-9-trillion-deforestation-economy-in-2024
The world’s largest financial institutions Vanguard, BlackRock, and JPMorgan Chase are bankrolling a massive $8.9 trillion deforestation economy whilst offering minimal safeguards against forest destruction, according to explosive new research that exposes the banking sector’s complicity in global environmental destruction.
Global Canopy’s comprehensive Forest 500 report tracked investments from 150 of the planet’s biggest financial institutions throughout 2024, revealing systematic funding of industries driving tropical rainforest annihilation across palm oil, soy, beef and timber sectors. The scale of financial exposure proves staggering, with institutions providing $8.9 trillion in direct and indirect support for 500 companies engaged in forest-risk commodities.
The research exposed catastrophic policy failures across the financial sector. Six out of ten institutions reviewed maintain no publicly stated deforestation policies whatsoever, representing only marginal improvement from the previous year when two-thirds lacked such protections. Even more alarming, fewer than four in ten financial giants openly acknowledge that deforestation poses business risks to their portfolios.
Three financial behemoths dominate the destruction economy. Vanguard, BlackRock, and JPMorgan Chase “alone were responsible for more than one-fifth of the total” funding, collectively channelling $1.6 trillion toward forest-risk industries. Their enormous market influence means policy changes from these titans “could trigger rapid change across the global financial system,” according to Global Canopy analysts.
The geographic concentration of destruction finance reveals systematic patterns. Beyond the United States, “China and France also emerged as central hubs of financial flows into deforestation-linked industries.” This concentration demonstrates how relatively few financial centres drive global forest destruction through investment decisions.
Perhaps most damning, nearly $864 billion flowed directly to companies making zero public commitments against deforestation. This represents “almost one in every ten dollars” of total financing going to businesses with no safeguards protecting tropical forests from destruction for palm oil plantations, cattle ranches, or soy cultivation.
Global Canopy researchers emphasised the sector’s transformative potential, stating: “Unless financial institutions engage portfolio companies to act on deforestation risk – for instance, through strong stewardship of investee companies – their financing activities will undermine the positive impact of any transition finance they provide.” However, they noted these “financial heavyweights could use their investment strategies to drive better practice and transform commodity supply chains for the better.”
The European Union’s new Deforestation Regulation dramatically increases pressure on financial institutions to implement robust policies. Beginning December 30, the EU “will ban large businesses from importing beef, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, natural rubber, soy, or wood if these products are linked to deforestation.” The ban will eventually extend to smaller businesses, creating comprehensive market exclusions for forest-destructive products.
This regulatory shift creates urgent risks for financial institutions backing non-compliant companies. “Without robust policies, they will find themselves backing companies that are locked out of key markets,” the report warns. Financial institutions face the prospect of massive portfolio devaluations as their investee companies lose access to lucrative European markets.
A handful of progressive institutions demonstrate viable alternatives. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, Deutsche Bank, and Lloyds Banking Group represent “the only institutions shown to be screening and monitoring all the highest-risk commodities.” Their comprehensive approaches “provide a blueprint for others to follow” in developing effective deforestation policies.
Global Canopy outlined essential components for credible deforestation policies extending “well beyond a vague pledge.” Effective policies require “clear standards for screening clients and portfolio holdings, active engagement to bring non-compliant firms into line, and strict deadlines for divestment if companies fail to improve.” Additionally, institutions must maintain “transparent reporting of progress and commitments to human rights safeguards.”
The analysis examined nine critical forest-risk commodities: “beef, cocoa, coffee, leather, palm oil, pulp and paper, soy, rubber, and timber.” Each sector drives habitat destruction threatening wildlife populations whilst displacing Indigenous communities dependent on intact forests for survival.
The report concludes that financial institutions possess “immense influence over whether deforestation is curbed or allowed to spiral further out of control.” Current investment patterns tell “a troubling story, but with the right commitments, banks and investment firms could become powerful drivers of change” toward forest protection rather than destruction.
Sustainable Times. (2024). Global finance giants under fire for fueling an $8.9 trillion ‘deforestation economy’ in 2024. Sustainable Times. https://www.sustainabletimes.co.uk/post/global-finance-giants-under-fire-for-fueling-an-8-9-trillion-deforestation-economy-in-2024
ENDS
Read more about deforestation and ecocide in the palm oil industry
Finance giants fuel $8.9 trillion deforestation economy
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Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #corruption #crime #deforestation #ecocide #ecolabel #EUDR #greenwashing #meat #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #News #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #soy
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Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius
Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius
IUCN Status: Endangered
Locations: Brazil
The blonde capuchin is found in the northeastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil, primarily in the states of Paraíba, Pernambuco, and Alagoas. Some populations have also been recorded in the Caatinga biome of Rio Grande do Norte, possibly due to habitat loss forcing them into new environments.
The blonde #capuchin (Sapajus flavius) is an enigmatic and critically endangered #primate found in the northeastern forests of Brazil. With their striking golden-yellow fur and intelligent, expressive faces, these capuchins are among the most visually distinctive of their genus. Once thought to be extinct, they were rediscovered in 2006, yet their populations remain fragmented and highly vulnerable. They inhabit a range of environments, from the coastal mangrove forests and várzea floodplains to terra firme forests in #Brazil’s Atlantic Forest biome. However, their survival is increasingly threatened by deforestation, agricultural expansion, #hunting, and the illegal #pettrade.
Blonde capuchins are known for their exceptionally large social groups, sometimes exceeding 150 individuals, where complex interactions, vocalisations, and even tool use have been observed. Unlike many primates, they do not have a specific breeding season, and infants can be seen being carried by their mothers year-round. Their remarkable adaptability to different habitats, including flooded forests and human-altered landscapes, underscores their resilience—but without immediate conservation action, these monkeys may not survive the pressures of habitat loss and hunting. Help them to survive every time you shop adopt a #Vegan lifestyle and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket.
Blonde #capuchins 🐒🐵 are #endangered due to #palmoil 🌴 sugarcane and meat 🥩 #deforestation in #Brazil 🇧🇷. Supremely intelligent, they use tools and mourn dead in their troop. Take action! #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-a9q
Share to BlueSky Share to Twitter#Monkeys of #Brazil, blonde #capuchins 🐒 are super smart and rub millipedes into their fur as an bug repellent. #PalmOil #meat and the illegal #pet trade are threats. Be #vegan for them 🥕🍆🧅 and #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🧐🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-a9q
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance & Behaviour
- Evidence of social cohesion and empathic community behaviour, group and individual mourning of infant deaths.
- Use up to 29 distinctive calls used to communicate.
- Live in large groups of up to 150 individuals.
- Evidence of complex tool use for self-medication and locating food.
Blonde capuchins are striking primates, their golden-yellow coats shimmering against the deep greens of the Atlantic Forest. They have a distinctive whitish cap on the front of their heads, which contrasts sharply with their dark brown eyes and black facial markings. Their fur is short and dense, suited to the humid tropical climate. Their hands and feet are a lighter shade of gold, with hairless black palms and soles for better grip while climbing. Males and females are similar in appearance, but males are typically larger and more muscular.
These capuchins are highly intelligent and social, living in large, multi-male, multi-female groups that can contain over 150 individuals. They use a complex system of vocalisations, with at least 29 distinct calls, to communicate. Their societies function with a fission-fusion dynamic, meaning they frequently split into smaller foraging groups to reduce competition over food. This flexibility is key to their survival in fragmented habitats.
Despite spending most of their time in the trees, blonde capuchins also frequently descend to the ground, particularly in Caatinga dry forests and areas where fruit is scarce. They exhibit high levels of problem-solving and tool use, including using sticks to fish for termites and rubbing millipede secretions onto their fur as an insect repellent.
These monkeys have strong social bonds, and mothers play an essential role in infant care, carrying their young for months after birth. Although males do not carry infants, they play a protective role, ensuring the safety of the group, particularly mothers and offspring. In a fascinating example of primate grief, a female blonde capuchin was observed carrying her dead infant for an extended period, refusing to abandon the body despite the risks of slowing down. Two adult males guarded the grieving mother, offering protection as she lagged behind the group, demonstrating a strong sense of social cohesion and empathy.
Threats
Sugar Cane, Palm Oil and Soy Monoculture
The relentless expansion of industrial agriculture, particularly sugar cane, palm oil and soy plantations, has led to the destruction of the Atlantic Forest—the blonde capuchin’s primary habitat. These plantations fragment their environment, forcing them into isolated forest patches where food scarcity increases competition and stress.
Cattle Ranching Deforestation
Large-scale cattle ranching contributes to deforestation, eliminating vast tracts of forest that blonde capuchins depend on. The clearing of land for pasture not only destroys their habitat but also reduces biodiversity, making it harder for them to find food and shelter.
Illegal Pet Trade
Blonde capuchins are frequently captured for the illegal pet trade. Their intelligence and playful nature make them highly sought after, but life in captivity is cruel. Confined to small cages and deprived of their social groups, they suffer immense psychological distress. The capture process is often violent, leading to injuries and death for both the captured individuals and the infants left behind.
Climate Change-Induced Extreme Weather
Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns are disrupting food availability and seasonal cycles. Extreme droughts and storms destroy fruiting trees, leading to food shortages. Additionally, prolonged dry periods increase the risk of wildfires, further threatening their habitat.
Pesticides and River Pollution from Agriculture
Agricultural runoff, laden with pesticides and fertilisers, contaminates water sources. Blonde capuchins, like many primates, drink from forest streams, exposing them to toxic chemicals that weaken their immune systems and reduce reproductive success.
Geographic Range
Blonde capuchins are found in the fragmented forests of northeastern Brazil, particularly in the Atlantic Forest and, more recently, in the drier Caatinga biome. The latter may represent a forced adaptation due to habitat destruction.
Diet
Blonde capuchins are omnivores, feeding primarily on fruits, seeds, nuts, insects, and small vertebrates. In degraded habitats, they have been observed relying heavily on sugarcane, raiding plantations for food. This dietary shift highlights the impact of habitat destruction on their natural feeding behaviours.
Mating and Reproduction
Blonde capuchins (Sapajus flavius) exhibit year-round reproduction, meaning they do not adhere to a strict breeding season. This constant reproductive cycle allows for continuous population growth when environmental conditions permit. However, habitat destruction and human encroachment threaten this delicate balance, leading to increased infant mortality and population decline.
Maternal Care and Infant Development
Female blonde capuchins provide the primary care for their young, carrying infants on their backs for several months after birth. This close physical contact ensures warmth, protection, and the opportunity for infants to learn social behaviours by observing their mothers. Studies show that 68% of observed infant carrying was performed by females, emphasising their role as the primary caregivers (Medeiros et al., 2019).
Male Involvement in Infant Protection
Although males do not typically engage in direct infant care, they provide an essential protective role within the group. In some cases, two adult males have been observed guarding a vulnerable mother carrying her deceased infant, demonstrating social cooperation and the importance of group dynamics in protecting reproductive females (Andrade et al., 2020). This protective behavior ensures that mothers and infants are less vulnerable to predators while traveling with the group.
Infant Death and Maternal Grief
In rare but significant cases, female blonde capuchins have been documented engaging in corpse carrying behaviour, where a grieving mother carries her dead infant for days, even at the risk of slowing down her movements and exposing herself to danger. One such case involved a female who continued to carry her deceased infant despite being at increased risk of predation. Two males remained close to her, offering protection as she moved through the forest, suggesting that male blonde capuchins may provide indirect support to grieving mothers (Andrade et al., 2020).
This behavior is consistent with thanatology in primates, a field that examines how primates react to death. It suggests that blonde capuchins, like other cognitively complex primates, may experience a form of grief and maternal attachment beyond immediate survival instincts.
FAQs
Do blonde capuchins make good pets?
No. Keeping a blonde capuchin as a pet is both cruel and illegal. These intelligent primates require complex social interactions, large territories, and the freedom to forage and move. Captivity leads to severe mental and physical suffering. Additionally, the pet trade fuels poaching, further endangering wild populations.
How intelligent are blonde capuchins?
Blonde capuchins are among the most intelligent primates. They exhibit tool use, such as using sticks to extract termites and rocks to crack nuts. They also apply millipede secretions to their fur as a natural insect repellent, demonstrating problem-solving skills and cultural behaviours.
Why are blonde capuchins endangered?
The primary threats include deforestation for palm oil, sugar cane, soy and meat agriculture, habitat fragmentation, and the illegal pet trade. These pressures have drastically reduced their populations, leaving them confined to small, isolated forest patches.
How can I help protect blonde capuchins?
The best way to help is by supporting indigenous-led conservation initiatives and refusing to support industries that contribute to deforestation. Boycott palm oil and meat in the supermarket to fight against these destructive industries. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Take Action!
Blonde capuchins are in urgent need of protection. Every time you shop, you have the power to fight for their survival. Refuse products that contribute to deforestation and the destruction of their habitat. Support indigenous-led conservation efforts and advocate for stronger wildlife protection laws. Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Support Blonde Capuchins by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Andrade, B. M. T., Freire-Filho, R., & Bezerra, B. (2020). The behaviours of a female blonde capuchin (Sapajus flavius) towards her dead infant. Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-bja10031
Bastos, M., Medeiros, K., Jones, G., & Bezerra, B. (2018). Small but wise: Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) use acoustic signals as cues to avoid interactions with blonde capuchin monkeys (Sapajus flavius). American Journal of Primatology, 80(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22744
Bezerra, B. M., Bastos, M., Souto, A., Keasey, M. P., Eason, P., Schiel, N., & Jones, G. (2014). Camera Trap Observations of Nonhabituated Critically Endangered Wild Blonde Capuchins, Sapajus flavius (Formerly Cebus flavius). International Journal of Primatology, 35(5), 895–907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-014-9782-4
Hance, J.(2011). Critically endangered capuchins make tools to gather termites. Mongabay https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/critically-endangered-capuchins-make-tools-to-gather-termites/
Medeiros, K., Bastos, M., Jones, G., & Bezerra, B. (2019). Behavior, Diet, and Habitat Use by Blonde Capuchin Monkeys (Sapajus flavius) in a Coastal Area Prone to Flooding: Direct Observations and Camera Trapping. International Journal of Primatology, 40(5), 511–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-019-00103-z
Prado-Sañudo, M. L., Giraldo, A., & Bolívar, W. (2020). Population status of Sapajus flavius in the Western and Central Andes of Colombia. Boletín Científico Centro de Museos Museo de Historia Natural, 24(2), 116-124. https://doi.org/10.17151/bccm.2020.24.2.8
Valença-Montenegro, M.M., Bezerra, B.M., Martins, A.B., Jerusalinsky, L., Fialho, M.S. & Lynch Alfaro, J.W. 2021. Sapajus flavius (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T136253A192592928. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T136253A192592928.en. Accessed on 10 February 2025.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Blonde capuchin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blond_capuchin
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
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Join 1,397 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
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Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
Read more#Andes #animals #BlondeCapuchinSapajusFlavius #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #capuchin #Capuchins #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #ForgottenAnimals #hunting #meat #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation_ #monkey #monkeys #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pet #pettrade #poaching #Primate #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #soyDeforestation #sugarCane #vegan
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Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius
Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius
IUCN Status: Endangered
Locations: Brazil
The blonde capuchin is found in the northeastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil, primarily in the states of Paraíba, Pernambuco, and Alagoas. Some populations have also been recorded in the Caatinga biome of Rio Grande do Norte, possibly due to habitat loss forcing them into new environments.
The blonde #capuchin (Sapajus flavius) is an enigmatic and critically endangered #primate found in the northeastern forests of Brazil. With their striking golden-yellow fur and intelligent, expressive faces, these capuchins are among the most visually distinctive of their genus. Once thought to be extinct, they were rediscovered in 2006, yet their populations remain fragmented and highly vulnerable. They inhabit a range of environments, from the coastal mangrove forests and várzea floodplains to terra firme forests in #Brazil’s Atlantic Forest biome. However, their survival is increasingly threatened by deforestation, agricultural expansion, #hunting, and the illegal #pettrade.
Blonde capuchins are known for their exceptionally large social groups, sometimes exceeding 150 individuals, where complex interactions, vocalisations, and even tool use have been observed. Unlike many primates, they do not have a specific breeding season, and infants can be seen being carried by their mothers year-round. Their remarkable adaptability to different habitats, including flooded forests and human-altered landscapes, underscores their resilience—but without immediate conservation action, these monkeys may not survive the pressures of habitat loss and hunting. Help them to survive every time you shop adopt a #Vegan lifestyle and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket.
Blonde #capuchins 🐒🐵 are #endangered due to #palmoil 🌴 sugarcane and meat 🥩 #deforestation in #Brazil 🇧🇷. Supremely intelligent, they use tools and mourn dead in their troop. Take action! #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-a9q
Share to BlueSky Share to Twitter#Monkeys of #Brazil, blonde #capuchins 🐒 are super smart and rub millipedes into their fur as an bug repellent. #PalmOil #meat and the illegal #pet trade are threats. Be #vegan for them 🥕🍆🧅 and #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🧐🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-a9q
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance & Behaviour
- Evidence of social cohesion and empathic community behaviour, group and individual mourning of infant deaths.
- Use up to 29 distinctive calls used to communicate.
- Live in large groups of up to 150 individuals.
- Evidence of complex tool use for self-medication and locating food.
Blonde capuchins are striking primates, their golden-yellow coats shimmering against the deep greens of the Atlantic Forest. They have a distinctive whitish cap on the front of their heads, which contrasts sharply with their dark brown eyes and black facial markings. Their fur is short and dense, suited to the humid tropical climate. Their hands and feet are a lighter shade of gold, with hairless black palms and soles for better grip while climbing. Males and females are similar in appearance, but males are typically larger and more muscular.
These capuchins are highly intelligent and social, living in large, multi-male, multi-female groups that can contain over 150 individuals. They use a complex system of vocalisations, with at least 29 distinct calls, to communicate. Their societies function with a fission-fusion dynamic, meaning they frequently split into smaller foraging groups to reduce competition over food. This flexibility is key to their survival in fragmented habitats.
Despite spending most of their time in the trees, blonde capuchins also frequently descend to the ground, particularly in Caatinga dry forests and areas where fruit is scarce. They exhibit high levels of problem-solving and tool use, including using sticks to fish for termites and rubbing millipede secretions onto their fur as an insect repellent.
These monkeys have strong social bonds, and mothers play an essential role in infant care, carrying their young for months after birth. Although males do not carry infants, they play a protective role, ensuring the safety of the group, particularly mothers and offspring. In a fascinating example of primate grief, a female blonde capuchin was observed carrying her dead infant for an extended period, refusing to abandon the body despite the risks of slowing down. Two adult males guarded the grieving mother, offering protection as she lagged behind the group, demonstrating a strong sense of social cohesion and empathy.
Threats
Sugar Cane, Palm Oil and Soy Monoculture
The relentless expansion of industrial agriculture, particularly sugar cane, palm oil and soy plantations, has led to the destruction of the Atlantic Forest—the blonde capuchin’s primary habitat. These plantations fragment their environment, forcing them into isolated forest patches where food scarcity increases competition and stress.
Cattle Ranching Deforestation
Large-scale cattle ranching contributes to deforestation, eliminating vast tracts of forest that blonde capuchins depend on. The clearing of land for pasture not only destroys their habitat but also reduces biodiversity, making it harder for them to find food and shelter.
Illegal Pet Trade
Blonde capuchins are frequently captured for the illegal pet trade. Their intelligence and playful nature make them highly sought after, but life in captivity is cruel. Confined to small cages and deprived of their social groups, they suffer immense psychological distress. The capture process is often violent, leading to injuries and death for both the captured individuals and the infants left behind.
Climate Change-Induced Extreme Weather
Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns are disrupting food availability and seasonal cycles. Extreme droughts and storms destroy fruiting trees, leading to food shortages. Additionally, prolonged dry periods increase the risk of wildfires, further threatening their habitat.
Pesticides and River Pollution from Agriculture
Agricultural runoff, laden with pesticides and fertilisers, contaminates water sources. Blonde capuchins, like many primates, drink from forest streams, exposing them to toxic chemicals that weaken their immune systems and reduce reproductive success.
Geographic Range
Blonde capuchins are found in the fragmented forests of northeastern Brazil, particularly in the Atlantic Forest and, more recently, in the drier Caatinga biome. The latter may represent a forced adaptation due to habitat destruction.
Diet
Blonde capuchins are omnivores, feeding primarily on fruits, seeds, nuts, insects, and small vertebrates. In degraded habitats, they have been observed relying heavily on sugarcane, raiding plantations for food. This dietary shift highlights the impact of habitat destruction on their natural feeding behaviours.
Mating and Reproduction
Blonde capuchins (Sapajus flavius) exhibit year-round reproduction, meaning they do not adhere to a strict breeding season. This constant reproductive cycle allows for continuous population growth when environmental conditions permit. However, habitat destruction and human encroachment threaten this delicate balance, leading to increased infant mortality and population decline.
Maternal Care and Infant Development
Female blonde capuchins provide the primary care for their young, carrying infants on their backs for several months after birth. This close physical contact ensures warmth, protection, and the opportunity for infants to learn social behaviours by observing their mothers. Studies show that 68% of observed infant carrying was performed by females, emphasising their role as the primary caregivers (Medeiros et al., 2019).
Male Involvement in Infant Protection
Although males do not typically engage in direct infant care, they provide an essential protective role within the group. In some cases, two adult males have been observed guarding a vulnerable mother carrying her deceased infant, demonstrating social cooperation and the importance of group dynamics in protecting reproductive females (Andrade et al., 2020). This protective behavior ensures that mothers and infants are less vulnerable to predators while traveling with the group.
Infant Death and Maternal Grief
In rare but significant cases, female blonde capuchins have been documented engaging in corpse carrying behaviour, where a grieving mother carries her dead infant for days, even at the risk of slowing down her movements and exposing herself to danger. One such case involved a female who continued to carry her deceased infant despite being at increased risk of predation. Two males remained close to her, offering protection as she moved through the forest, suggesting that male blonde capuchins may provide indirect support to grieving mothers (Andrade et al., 2020).
This behavior is consistent with thanatology in primates, a field that examines how primates react to death. It suggests that blonde capuchins, like other cognitively complex primates, may experience a form of grief and maternal attachment beyond immediate survival instincts.
FAQs
Do blonde capuchins make good pets?
No. Keeping a blonde capuchin as a pet is both cruel and illegal. These intelligent primates require complex social interactions, large territories, and the freedom to forage and move. Captivity leads to severe mental and physical suffering. Additionally, the pet trade fuels poaching, further endangering wild populations.
How intelligent are blonde capuchins?
Blonde capuchins are among the most intelligent primates. They exhibit tool use, such as using sticks to extract termites and rocks to crack nuts. They also apply millipede secretions to their fur as a natural insect repellent, demonstrating problem-solving skills and cultural behaviours.
Why are blonde capuchins endangered?
The primary threats include deforestation for palm oil, sugar cane, soy and meat agriculture, habitat fragmentation, and the illegal pet trade. These pressures have drastically reduced their populations, leaving them confined to small, isolated forest patches.
How can I help protect blonde capuchins?
The best way to help is by supporting indigenous-led conservation initiatives and refusing to support industries that contribute to deforestation. Boycott palm oil and meat in the supermarket to fight against these destructive industries. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Take Action!
Blonde capuchins are in urgent need of protection. Every time you shop, you have the power to fight for their survival. Refuse products that contribute to deforestation and the destruction of their habitat. Support indigenous-led conservation efforts and advocate for stronger wildlife protection laws. Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Support Blonde Capuchins by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Andrade, B. M. T., Freire-Filho, R., & Bezerra, B. (2020). The behaviours of a female blonde capuchin (Sapajus flavius) towards her dead infant. Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-bja10031
Bastos, M., Medeiros, K., Jones, G., & Bezerra, B. (2018). Small but wise: Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) use acoustic signals as cues to avoid interactions with blonde capuchin monkeys (Sapajus flavius). American Journal of Primatology, 80(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22744
Bezerra, B. M., Bastos, M., Souto, A., Keasey, M. P., Eason, P., Schiel, N., & Jones, G. (2014). Camera Trap Observations of Nonhabituated Critically Endangered Wild Blonde Capuchins, Sapajus flavius (Formerly Cebus flavius). International Journal of Primatology, 35(5), 895–907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-014-9782-4
Hance, J.(2011). Critically endangered capuchins make tools to gather termites. Mongabay https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/critically-endangered-capuchins-make-tools-to-gather-termites/
Medeiros, K., Bastos, M., Jones, G., & Bezerra, B. (2019). Behavior, Diet, and Habitat Use by Blonde Capuchin Monkeys (Sapajus flavius) in a Coastal Area Prone to Flooding: Direct Observations and Camera Trapping. International Journal of Primatology, 40(5), 511–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-019-00103-z
Prado-Sañudo, M. L., Giraldo, A., & Bolívar, W. (2020). Population status of Sapajus flavius in the Western and Central Andes of Colombia. Boletín Científico Centro de Museos Museo de Historia Natural, 24(2), 116-124. https://doi.org/10.17151/bccm.2020.24.2.8
Valença-Montenegro, M.M., Bezerra, B.M., Martins, A.B., Jerusalinsky, L., Fialho, M.S. & Lynch Alfaro, J.W. 2021. Sapajus flavius (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T136253A192592928. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T136253A192592928.en. Accessed on 10 February 2025.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Blonde capuchin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blond_capuchin
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your supportLearn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global South America S.E. Asia India Africa West Papua & PNGEcuadorean Viscacha Lagidium ahuacaense
Blue-streaked Lory Eos reticulata
Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius
Savage’s Glass Frog Centrolene savagei
Pesquets Parrot Psittrichas fulgidus
Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
Read more#Andes #animals #BlondeCapuchinSapajusFlavius #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #capuchin #Capuchins #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #ForgottenAnimals #hunting #meat #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation_ #monkey #monkeys #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pet #pettrade #poaching #Primate #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #soyDeforestation #sugarCane #vegan
-
Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius
Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius
IUCN Status: Endangered
Locations: Brazil
The blonde capuchin is found in the northeastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil, primarily in the states of Paraíba, Pernambuco, and Alagoas. Some populations have also been recorded in the Caatinga biome of Rio Grande do Norte, possibly due to habitat loss forcing them into new environments.
The blonde #capuchin (Sapajus flavius) is an enigmatic and critically endangered #primate found in the northeastern forests of Brazil. With their striking golden-yellow fur and intelligent, expressive faces, these capuchins are among the most visually distinctive of their genus. Once thought to be extinct, they were rediscovered in 2006, yet their populations remain fragmented and highly vulnerable. They inhabit a range of environments, from the coastal mangrove forests and várzea floodplains to terra firme forests in #Brazil’s Atlantic Forest biome. However, their survival is increasingly threatened by deforestation, agricultural expansion, #hunting, and the illegal #pettrade.
Blonde capuchins are known for their exceptionally large social groups, sometimes exceeding 150 individuals, where complex interactions, vocalisations, and even tool use have been observed. Unlike many primates, they do not have a specific breeding season, and infants can be seen being carried by their mothers year-round. Their remarkable adaptability to different habitats, including flooded forests and human-altered landscapes, underscores their resilience—but without immediate conservation action, these monkeys may not survive the pressures of habitat loss and hunting. Help them to survive every time you shop adopt a #Vegan lifestyle and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket.
Blonde #capuchins 🐒🐵 are #endangered due to #palmoil 🌴 sugarcane and meat 🥩 #deforestation in #Brazil 🇧🇷. Supremely intelligent, they use tools and mourn dead in their troop. Take action! #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-a9q
Share to BlueSky Share to Twitter#Monkeys of #Brazil, blonde #capuchins 🐒 are super smart and rub millipedes into their fur as an bug repellent. #PalmOil #meat and the illegal #pet trade are threats. Be #vegan for them 🥕🍆🧅 and #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🧐🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-a9q
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance & Behaviour
- Evidence of social cohesion and empathic community behaviour, group and individual mourning of infant deaths.
- Use up to 29 distinctive calls used to communicate.
- Live in large groups of up to 150 individuals.
- Evidence of complex tool use for self-medication and locating food.
Blonde capuchins are striking primates, their golden-yellow coats shimmering against the deep greens of the Atlantic Forest. They have a distinctive whitish cap on the front of their heads, which contrasts sharply with their dark brown eyes and black facial markings. Their fur is short and dense, suited to the humid tropical climate. Their hands and feet are a lighter shade of gold, with hairless black palms and soles for better grip while climbing. Males and females are similar in appearance, but males are typically larger and more muscular.
These capuchins are highly intelligent and social, living in large, multi-male, multi-female groups that can contain over 150 individuals. They use a complex system of vocalisations, with at least 29 distinct calls, to communicate. Their societies function with a fission-fusion dynamic, meaning they frequently split into smaller foraging groups to reduce competition over food. This flexibility is key to their survival in fragmented habitats.
Despite spending most of their time in the trees, blonde capuchins also frequently descend to the ground, particularly in Caatinga dry forests and areas where fruit is scarce. They exhibit high levels of problem-solving and tool use, including using sticks to fish for termites and rubbing millipede secretions onto their fur as an insect repellent.
These monkeys have strong social bonds, and mothers play an essential role in infant care, carrying their young for months after birth. Although males do not carry infants, they play a protective role, ensuring the safety of the group, particularly mothers and offspring. In a fascinating example of primate grief, a female blonde capuchin was observed carrying her dead infant for an extended period, refusing to abandon the body despite the risks of slowing down. Two adult males guarded the grieving mother, offering protection as she lagged behind the group, demonstrating a strong sense of social cohesion and empathy.
Threats
Sugar Cane, Palm Oil and Soy Monoculture
The relentless expansion of industrial agriculture, particularly sugar cane, palm oil and soy plantations, has led to the destruction of the Atlantic Forest—the blonde capuchin’s primary habitat. These plantations fragment their environment, forcing them into isolated forest patches where food scarcity increases competition and stress.
Cattle Ranching Deforestation
Large-scale cattle ranching contributes to deforestation, eliminating vast tracts of forest that blonde capuchins depend on. The clearing of land for pasture not only destroys their habitat but also reduces biodiversity, making it harder for them to find food and shelter.
Illegal Pet Trade
Blonde capuchins are frequently captured for the illegal pet trade. Their intelligence and playful nature make them highly sought after, but life in captivity is cruel. Confined to small cages and deprived of their social groups, they suffer immense psychological distress. The capture process is often violent, leading to injuries and death for both the captured individuals and the infants left behind.
Climate Change-Induced Extreme Weather
Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns are disrupting food availability and seasonal cycles. Extreme droughts and storms destroy fruiting trees, leading to food shortages. Additionally, prolonged dry periods increase the risk of wildfires, further threatening their habitat.
Pesticides and River Pollution from Agriculture
Agricultural runoff, laden with pesticides and fertilisers, contaminates water sources. Blonde capuchins, like many primates, drink from forest streams, exposing them to toxic chemicals that weaken their immune systems and reduce reproductive success.
Geographic Range
Blonde capuchins are found in the fragmented forests of northeastern Brazil, particularly in the Atlantic Forest and, more recently, in the drier Caatinga biome. The latter may represent a forced adaptation due to habitat destruction.
Diet
Blonde capuchins are omnivores, feeding primarily on fruits, seeds, nuts, insects, and small vertebrates. In degraded habitats, they have been observed relying heavily on sugarcane, raiding plantations for food. This dietary shift highlights the impact of habitat destruction on their natural feeding behaviours.
Mating and Reproduction
Blonde capuchins (Sapajus flavius) exhibit year-round reproduction, meaning they do not adhere to a strict breeding season. This constant reproductive cycle allows for continuous population growth when environmental conditions permit. However, habitat destruction and human encroachment threaten this delicate balance, leading to increased infant mortality and population decline.
Maternal Care and Infant Development
Female blonde capuchins provide the primary care for their young, carrying infants on their backs for several months after birth. This close physical contact ensures warmth, protection, and the opportunity for infants to learn social behaviours by observing their mothers. Studies show that 68% of observed infant carrying was performed by females, emphasising their role as the primary caregivers (Medeiros et al., 2019).
Male Involvement in Infant Protection
Although males do not typically engage in direct infant care, they provide an essential protective role within the group. In some cases, two adult males have been observed guarding a vulnerable mother carrying her deceased infant, demonstrating social cooperation and the importance of group dynamics in protecting reproductive females (Andrade et al., 2020). This protective behavior ensures that mothers and infants are less vulnerable to predators while traveling with the group.
Infant Death and Maternal Grief
In rare but significant cases, female blonde capuchins have been documented engaging in corpse carrying behaviour, where a grieving mother carries her dead infant for days, even at the risk of slowing down her movements and exposing herself to danger. One such case involved a female who continued to carry her deceased infant despite being at increased risk of predation. Two males remained close to her, offering protection as she moved through the forest, suggesting that male blonde capuchins may provide indirect support to grieving mothers (Andrade et al., 2020).
This behavior is consistent with thanatology in primates, a field that examines how primates react to death. It suggests that blonde capuchins, like other cognitively complex primates, may experience a form of grief and maternal attachment beyond immediate survival instincts.
FAQs
Do blonde capuchins make good pets?
No. Keeping a blonde capuchin as a pet is both cruel and illegal. These intelligent primates require complex social interactions, large territories, and the freedom to forage and move. Captivity leads to severe mental and physical suffering. Additionally, the pet trade fuels poaching, further endangering wild populations.
How intelligent are blonde capuchins?
Blonde capuchins are among the most intelligent primates. They exhibit tool use, such as using sticks to extract termites and rocks to crack nuts. They also apply millipede secretions to their fur as a natural insect repellent, demonstrating problem-solving skills and cultural behaviours.
Why are blonde capuchins endangered?
The primary threats include deforestation for palm oil, sugar cane, soy and meat agriculture, habitat fragmentation, and the illegal pet trade. These pressures have drastically reduced their populations, leaving them confined to small, isolated forest patches.
How can I help protect blonde capuchins?
The best way to help is by supporting indigenous-led conservation initiatives and refusing to support industries that contribute to deforestation. Boycott palm oil and meat in the supermarket to fight against these destructive industries. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Take Action!
Blonde capuchins are in urgent need of protection. Every time you shop, you have the power to fight for their survival. Refuse products that contribute to deforestation and the destruction of their habitat. Support indigenous-led conservation efforts and advocate for stronger wildlife protection laws. Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Support Blonde Capuchins by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Andrade, B. M. T., Freire-Filho, R., & Bezerra, B. (2020). The behaviours of a female blonde capuchin (Sapajus flavius) towards her dead infant. Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-bja10031
Bastos, M., Medeiros, K., Jones, G., & Bezerra, B. (2018). Small but wise: Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) use acoustic signals as cues to avoid interactions with blonde capuchin monkeys (Sapajus flavius). American Journal of Primatology, 80(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22744
Bezerra, B. M., Bastos, M., Souto, A., Keasey, M. P., Eason, P., Schiel, N., & Jones, G. (2014). Camera Trap Observations of Nonhabituated Critically Endangered Wild Blonde Capuchins, Sapajus flavius (Formerly Cebus flavius). International Journal of Primatology, 35(5), 895–907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-014-9782-4
Hance, J.(2011). Critically endangered capuchins make tools to gather termites. Mongabay https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/critically-endangered-capuchins-make-tools-to-gather-termites/
Medeiros, K., Bastos, M., Jones, G., & Bezerra, B. (2019). Behavior, Diet, and Habitat Use by Blonde Capuchin Monkeys (Sapajus flavius) in a Coastal Area Prone to Flooding: Direct Observations and Camera Trapping. International Journal of Primatology, 40(5), 511–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-019-00103-z
Prado-Sañudo, M. L., Giraldo, A., & Bolívar, W. (2020). Population status of Sapajus flavius in the Western and Central Andes of Colombia. Boletín Científico Centro de Museos Museo de Historia Natural, 24(2), 116-124. https://doi.org/10.17151/bccm.2020.24.2.8
Valença-Montenegro, M.M., Bezerra, B.M., Martins, A.B., Jerusalinsky, L., Fialho, M.S. & Lynch Alfaro, J.W. 2021. Sapajus flavius (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T136253A192592928. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T136253A192592928.en. Accessed on 10 February 2025.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Blonde capuchin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blond_capuchin
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 1,397 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your supportLearn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global South America S.E. Asia India Africa West Papua & PNGSavage’s Glass Frog Centrolene savagei
Pesquets Parrot Psittrichas fulgidus
Tanimbar Eclectus Parrot Eclectus riedeli
Malayan Flying Fox Pteropus vampyrus
Mountain Cuscus Phalanger carmelitae
Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
Read more#Andes #animals #BlondeCapuchinSapajusFlavius #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #capuchin #Capuchins #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #ForgottenAnimals #hunting #meat #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation_ #monkey #monkeys #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pet #pettrade #poaching #Primate #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #soyDeforestation #sugarCane #vegan
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Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius
Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius
IUCN Status: Endangered
Locations: Brazil
The blonde capuchin is found in the northeastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil, primarily in the states of Paraíba, Pernambuco, and Alagoas. Some populations have also been recorded in the Caatinga biome of Rio Grande do Norte, possibly due to habitat loss forcing them into new environments.
The blonde #capuchin (Sapajus flavius) is an enigmatic and critically endangered #primate found in the northeastern forests of Brazil. With their striking golden-yellow fur and intelligent, expressive faces, these capuchins are among the most visually distinctive of their genus. Once thought to be extinct, they were rediscovered in 2006, yet their populations remain fragmented and highly vulnerable. They inhabit a range of environments, from the coastal mangrove forests and várzea floodplains to terra firme forests in #Brazil’s Atlantic Forest biome. However, their survival is increasingly threatened by deforestation, agricultural expansion, #hunting, and the illegal #pettrade.
Blonde capuchins are known for their exceptionally large social groups, sometimes exceeding 150 individuals, where complex interactions, vocalisations, and even tool use have been observed. Unlike many primates, they do not have a specific breeding season, and infants can be seen being carried by their mothers year-round. Their remarkable adaptability to different habitats, including flooded forests and human-altered landscapes, underscores their resilience—but without immediate conservation action, these monkeys may not survive the pressures of habitat loss and hunting. Help them to survive every time you shop adopt a #Vegan lifestyle and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket.
Blonde #capuchins 🐒🐵 are #endangered due to #palmoil 🌴 sugarcane and meat 🥩 #deforestation in #Brazil 🇧🇷. Supremely intelligent, they use tools and mourn dead in their troop. Take action! #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-a9q
Share to BlueSky Share to Twitter#Monkeys of #Brazil, blonde #capuchins 🐒 are super smart and rub millipedes into their fur as an bug repellent. #PalmOil #meat and the illegal #pet trade are threats. Be #vegan for them 🥕🍆🧅 and #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🧐🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-a9q
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance & Behaviour
- Evidence of social cohesion and empathic community behaviour, group and individual mourning of infant deaths.
- Use up to 29 distinctive calls used to communicate.
- Live in large groups of up to 150 individuals.
- Evidence of complex tool use for self-medication and locating food.
Blonde capuchins are striking primates, their golden-yellow coats shimmering against the deep greens of the Atlantic Forest. They have a distinctive whitish cap on the front of their heads, which contrasts sharply with their dark brown eyes and black facial markings. Their fur is short and dense, suited to the humid tropical climate. Their hands and feet are a lighter shade of gold, with hairless black palms and soles for better grip while climbing. Males and females are similar in appearance, but males are typically larger and more muscular.
These capuchins are highly intelligent and social, living in large, multi-male, multi-female groups that can contain over 150 individuals. They use a complex system of vocalisations, with at least 29 distinct calls, to communicate. Their societies function with a fission-fusion dynamic, meaning they frequently split into smaller foraging groups to reduce competition over food. This flexibility is key to their survival in fragmented habitats.
Despite spending most of their time in the trees, blonde capuchins also frequently descend to the ground, particularly in Caatinga dry forests and areas where fruit is scarce. They exhibit high levels of problem-solving and tool use, including using sticks to fish for termites and rubbing millipede secretions onto their fur as an insect repellent.
These monkeys have strong social bonds, and mothers play an essential role in infant care, carrying their young for months after birth. Although males do not carry infants, they play a protective role, ensuring the safety of the group, particularly mothers and offspring. In a fascinating example of primate grief, a female blonde capuchin was observed carrying her dead infant for an extended period, refusing to abandon the body despite the risks of slowing down. Two adult males guarded the grieving mother, offering protection as she lagged behind the group, demonstrating a strong sense of social cohesion and empathy.
Threats
Sugar Cane, Palm Oil and Soy Monoculture
The relentless expansion of industrial agriculture, particularly sugar cane, palm oil and soy plantations, has led to the destruction of the Atlantic Forest—the blonde capuchin’s primary habitat. These plantations fragment their environment, forcing them into isolated forest patches where food scarcity increases competition and stress.
Cattle Ranching Deforestation
Large-scale cattle ranching contributes to deforestation, eliminating vast tracts of forest that blonde capuchins depend on. The clearing of land for pasture not only destroys their habitat but also reduces biodiversity, making it harder for them to find food and shelter.
Illegal Pet Trade
Blonde capuchins are frequently captured for the illegal pet trade. Their intelligence and playful nature make them highly sought after, but life in captivity is cruel. Confined to small cages and deprived of their social groups, they suffer immense psychological distress. The capture process is often violent, leading to injuries and death for both the captured individuals and the infants left behind.
Climate Change-Induced Extreme Weather
Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns are disrupting food availability and seasonal cycles. Extreme droughts and storms destroy fruiting trees, leading to food shortages. Additionally, prolonged dry periods increase the risk of wildfires, further threatening their habitat.
Pesticides and River Pollution from Agriculture
Agricultural runoff, laden with pesticides and fertilisers, contaminates water sources. Blonde capuchins, like many primates, drink from forest streams, exposing them to toxic chemicals that weaken their immune systems and reduce reproductive success.
Geographic Range
Blonde capuchins are found in the fragmented forests of northeastern Brazil, particularly in the Atlantic Forest and, more recently, in the drier Caatinga biome. The latter may represent a forced adaptation due to habitat destruction.
Diet
Blonde capuchins are omnivores, feeding primarily on fruits, seeds, nuts, insects, and small vertebrates. In degraded habitats, they have been observed relying heavily on sugarcane, raiding plantations for food. This dietary shift highlights the impact of habitat destruction on their natural feeding behaviours.
Mating and Reproduction
Blonde capuchins (Sapajus flavius) exhibit year-round reproduction, meaning they do not adhere to a strict breeding season. This constant reproductive cycle allows for continuous population growth when environmental conditions permit. However, habitat destruction and human encroachment threaten this delicate balance, leading to increased infant mortality and population decline.
Maternal Care and Infant Development
Female blonde capuchins provide the primary care for their young, carrying infants on their backs for several months after birth. This close physical contact ensures warmth, protection, and the opportunity for infants to learn social behaviours by observing their mothers. Studies show that 68% of observed infant carrying was performed by females, emphasising their role as the primary caregivers (Medeiros et al., 2019).
Male Involvement in Infant Protection
Although males do not typically engage in direct infant care, they provide an essential protective role within the group. In some cases, two adult males have been observed guarding a vulnerable mother carrying her deceased infant, demonstrating social cooperation and the importance of group dynamics in protecting reproductive females (Andrade et al., 2020). This protective behavior ensures that mothers and infants are less vulnerable to predators while traveling with the group.
Infant Death and Maternal Grief
In rare but significant cases, female blonde capuchins have been documented engaging in corpse carrying behaviour, where a grieving mother carries her dead infant for days, even at the risk of slowing down her movements and exposing herself to danger. One such case involved a female who continued to carry her deceased infant despite being at increased risk of predation. Two males remained close to her, offering protection as she moved through the forest, suggesting that male blonde capuchins may provide indirect support to grieving mothers (Andrade et al., 2020).
This behavior is consistent with thanatology in primates, a field that examines how primates react to death. It suggests that blonde capuchins, like other cognitively complex primates, may experience a form of grief and maternal attachment beyond immediate survival instincts.
FAQs
Do blonde capuchins make good pets?
No. Keeping a blonde capuchin as a pet is both cruel and illegal. These intelligent primates require complex social interactions, large territories, and the freedom to forage and move. Captivity leads to severe mental and physical suffering. Additionally, the pet trade fuels poaching, further endangering wild populations.
How intelligent are blonde capuchins?
Blonde capuchins are among the most intelligent primates. They exhibit tool use, such as using sticks to extract termites and rocks to crack nuts. They also apply millipede secretions to their fur as a natural insect repellent, demonstrating problem-solving skills and cultural behaviours.
Why are blonde capuchins endangered?
The primary threats include deforestation for palm oil, sugar cane, soy and meat agriculture, habitat fragmentation, and the illegal pet trade. These pressures have drastically reduced their populations, leaving them confined to small, isolated forest patches.
How can I help protect blonde capuchins?
The best way to help is by supporting indigenous-led conservation initiatives and refusing to support industries that contribute to deforestation. Boycott palm oil and meat in the supermarket to fight against these destructive industries. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Take Action!
Blonde capuchins are in urgent need of protection. Every time you shop, you have the power to fight for their survival. Refuse products that contribute to deforestation and the destruction of their habitat. Support indigenous-led conservation efforts and advocate for stronger wildlife protection laws. Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Support Blonde Capuchins by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Andrade, B. M. T., Freire-Filho, R., & Bezerra, B. (2020). The behaviours of a female blonde capuchin (Sapajus flavius) towards her dead infant. Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-bja10031
Bastos, M., Medeiros, K., Jones, G., & Bezerra, B. (2018). Small but wise: Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) use acoustic signals as cues to avoid interactions with blonde capuchin monkeys (Sapajus flavius). American Journal of Primatology, 80(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22744
Bezerra, B. M., Bastos, M., Souto, A., Keasey, M. P., Eason, P., Schiel, N., & Jones, G. (2014). Camera Trap Observations of Nonhabituated Critically Endangered Wild Blonde Capuchins, Sapajus flavius (Formerly Cebus flavius). International Journal of Primatology, 35(5), 895–907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-014-9782-4
Hance, J.(2011). Critically endangered capuchins make tools to gather termites. Mongabay https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/critically-endangered-capuchins-make-tools-to-gather-termites/
Medeiros, K., Bastos, M., Jones, G., & Bezerra, B. (2019). Behavior, Diet, and Habitat Use by Blonde Capuchin Monkeys (Sapajus flavius) in a Coastal Area Prone to Flooding: Direct Observations and Camera Trapping. International Journal of Primatology, 40(5), 511–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-019-00103-z
Prado-Sañudo, M. L., Giraldo, A., & Bolívar, W. (2020). Population status of Sapajus flavius in the Western and Central Andes of Colombia. Boletín Científico Centro de Museos Museo de Historia Natural, 24(2), 116-124. https://doi.org/10.17151/bccm.2020.24.2.8
Valença-Montenegro, M.M., Bezerra, B.M., Martins, A.B., Jerusalinsky, L., Fialho, M.S. & Lynch Alfaro, J.W. 2021. Sapajus flavius (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T136253A192592928. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T136253A192592928.en. Accessed on 10 February 2025.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Blonde capuchin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blond_capuchin
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 1,397 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your supportLearn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global South America S.E. Asia India Africa West Papua & PNGSavage’s Glass Frog Centrolene savagei
Pesquets Parrot Psittrichas fulgidus
Tanimbar Eclectus Parrot Eclectus riedeli
Malayan Flying Fox Pteropus vampyrus
Mountain Cuscus Phalanger carmelitae
Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
Read more#Andes #animals #BlondeCapuchinSapajusFlavius #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #capuchin #Capuchins #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #ForgottenAnimals #hunting #meat #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation_ #monkey #monkeys #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pet #pettrade #poaching #Primate #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #soyDeforestation #sugarCane #vegan
-
Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius
Blonde Capuchin Sapajus flavius
IUCN Status: Endangered
Locations: Brazil
The blonde capuchin is found in the northeastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil, primarily in the states of Paraíba, Pernambuco, and Alagoas. Some populations have also been recorded in the Caatinga biome of Rio Grande do Norte, possibly due to habitat loss forcing them into new environments.
The blonde #capuchin (Sapajus flavius) is an enigmatic and critically endangered #primate found in the northeastern forests of Brazil. With their striking golden-yellow fur and intelligent, expressive faces, these capuchins are among the most visually distinctive of their genus. Once thought to be extinct, they were rediscovered in 2006, yet their populations remain fragmented and highly vulnerable. They inhabit a range of environments, from the coastal mangrove forests and várzea floodplains to terra firme forests in #Brazil’s Atlantic Forest biome. However, their survival is increasingly threatened by deforestation, agricultural expansion, #hunting, and the illegal #pettrade.
Blonde capuchins are known for their exceptionally large social groups, sometimes exceeding 150 individuals, where complex interactions, vocalisations, and even tool use have been observed. Unlike many primates, they do not have a specific breeding season, and infants can be seen being carried by their mothers year-round. Their remarkable adaptability to different habitats, including flooded forests and human-altered landscapes, underscores their resilience—but without immediate conservation action, these monkeys may not survive the pressures of habitat loss and hunting. Help them to survive every time you shop adopt a #Vegan lifestyle and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket.
Blonde #capuchins 🐒🐵 are #endangered due to #palmoil 🌴 sugarcane and meat 🥩 #deforestation in #Brazil 🇧🇷. Supremely intelligent, they use tools and mourn dead in their troop. Take action! #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-a9q
Share to BlueSky Share to Twitter#Monkeys of #Brazil, blonde #capuchins 🐒 are super smart and rub millipedes into their fur as an bug repellent. #PalmOil #meat and the illegal #pet trade are threats. Be #vegan for them 🥕🍆🧅 and #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🧐🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-a9q
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance & Behaviour
- Evidence of social cohesion and empathic community behaviour, group and individual mourning of infant deaths.
- Use up to 29 distinctive calls used to communicate.
- Live in large groups of up to 150 individuals.
- Evidence of complex tool use for self-medication and locating food.
Blonde capuchins are striking primates, their golden-yellow coats shimmering against the deep greens of the Atlantic Forest. They have a distinctive whitish cap on the front of their heads, which contrasts sharply with their dark brown eyes and black facial markings. Their fur is short and dense, suited to the humid tropical climate. Their hands and feet are a lighter shade of gold, with hairless black palms and soles for better grip while climbing. Males and females are similar in appearance, but males are typically larger and more muscular.
These capuchins are highly intelligent and social, living in large, multi-male, multi-female groups that can contain over 150 individuals. They use a complex system of vocalisations, with at least 29 distinct calls, to communicate. Their societies function with a fission-fusion dynamic, meaning they frequently split into smaller foraging groups to reduce competition over food. This flexibility is key to their survival in fragmented habitats.
Despite spending most of their time in the trees, blonde capuchins also frequently descend to the ground, particularly in Caatinga dry forests and areas where fruit is scarce. They exhibit high levels of problem-solving and tool use, including using sticks to fish for termites and rubbing millipede secretions onto their fur as an insect repellent.
These monkeys have strong social bonds, and mothers play an essential role in infant care, carrying their young for months after birth. Although males do not carry infants, they play a protective role, ensuring the safety of the group, particularly mothers and offspring. In a fascinating example of primate grief, a female blonde capuchin was observed carrying her dead infant for an extended period, refusing to abandon the body despite the risks of slowing down. Two adult males guarded the grieving mother, offering protection as she lagged behind the group, demonstrating a strong sense of social cohesion and empathy.
Threats
Sugar Cane, Palm Oil and Soy Monoculture
The relentless expansion of industrial agriculture, particularly sugar cane, palm oil and soy plantations, has led to the destruction of the Atlantic Forest—the blonde capuchin’s primary habitat. These plantations fragment their environment, forcing them into isolated forest patches where food scarcity increases competition and stress.
Cattle Ranching Deforestation
Large-scale cattle ranching contributes to deforestation, eliminating vast tracts of forest that blonde capuchins depend on. The clearing of land for pasture not only destroys their habitat but also reduces biodiversity, making it harder for them to find food and shelter.
Illegal Pet Trade
Blonde capuchins are frequently captured for the illegal pet trade. Their intelligence and playful nature make them highly sought after, but life in captivity is cruel. Confined to small cages and deprived of their social groups, they suffer immense psychological distress. The capture process is often violent, leading to injuries and death for both the captured individuals and the infants left behind.
Climate Change-Induced Extreme Weather
Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns are disrupting food availability and seasonal cycles. Extreme droughts and storms destroy fruiting trees, leading to food shortages. Additionally, prolonged dry periods increase the risk of wildfires, further threatening their habitat.
Pesticides and River Pollution from Agriculture
Agricultural runoff, laden with pesticides and fertilisers, contaminates water sources. Blonde capuchins, like many primates, drink from forest streams, exposing them to toxic chemicals that weaken their immune systems and reduce reproductive success.
Geographic Range
Blonde capuchins are found in the fragmented forests of northeastern Brazil, particularly in the Atlantic Forest and, more recently, in the drier Caatinga biome. The latter may represent a forced adaptation due to habitat destruction.
Diet
Blonde capuchins are omnivores, feeding primarily on fruits, seeds, nuts, insects, and small vertebrates. In degraded habitats, they have been observed relying heavily on sugarcane, raiding plantations for food. This dietary shift highlights the impact of habitat destruction on their natural feeding behaviours.
Mating and Reproduction
Blonde capuchins (Sapajus flavius) exhibit year-round reproduction, meaning they do not adhere to a strict breeding season. This constant reproductive cycle allows for continuous population growth when environmental conditions permit. However, habitat destruction and human encroachment threaten this delicate balance, leading to increased infant mortality and population decline.
Maternal Care and Infant Development
Female blonde capuchins provide the primary care for their young, carrying infants on their backs for several months after birth. This close physical contact ensures warmth, protection, and the opportunity for infants to learn social behaviours by observing their mothers. Studies show that 68% of observed infant carrying was performed by females, emphasising their role as the primary caregivers (Medeiros et al., 2019).
Male Involvement in Infant Protection
Although males do not typically engage in direct infant care, they provide an essential protective role within the group. In some cases, two adult males have been observed guarding a vulnerable mother carrying her deceased infant, demonstrating social cooperation and the importance of group dynamics in protecting reproductive females (Andrade et al., 2020). This protective behavior ensures that mothers and infants are less vulnerable to predators while traveling with the group.
Infant Death and Maternal Grief
In rare but significant cases, female blonde capuchins have been documented engaging in corpse carrying behaviour, where a grieving mother carries her dead infant for days, even at the risk of slowing down her movements and exposing herself to danger. One such case involved a female who continued to carry her deceased infant despite being at increased risk of predation. Two males remained close to her, offering protection as she moved through the forest, suggesting that male blonde capuchins may provide indirect support to grieving mothers (Andrade et al., 2020).
This behavior is consistent with thanatology in primates, a field that examines how primates react to death. It suggests that blonde capuchins, like other cognitively complex primates, may experience a form of grief and maternal attachment beyond immediate survival instincts.
FAQs
Do blonde capuchins make good pets?
No. Keeping a blonde capuchin as a pet is both cruel and illegal. These intelligent primates require complex social interactions, large territories, and the freedom to forage and move. Captivity leads to severe mental and physical suffering. Additionally, the pet trade fuels poaching, further endangering wild populations.
How intelligent are blonde capuchins?
Blonde capuchins are among the most intelligent primates. They exhibit tool use, such as using sticks to extract termites and rocks to crack nuts. They also apply millipede secretions to their fur as a natural insect repellent, demonstrating problem-solving skills and cultural behaviours.
Why are blonde capuchins endangered?
The primary threats include deforestation for palm oil, sugar cane, soy and meat agriculture, habitat fragmentation, and the illegal pet trade. These pressures have drastically reduced their populations, leaving them confined to small, isolated forest patches.
How can I help protect blonde capuchins?
The best way to help is by supporting indigenous-led conservation initiatives and refusing to support industries that contribute to deforestation. Boycott palm oil and meat in the supermarket to fight against these destructive industries. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Take Action!
Blonde capuchins are in urgent need of protection. Every time you shop, you have the power to fight for their survival. Refuse products that contribute to deforestation and the destruction of their habitat. Support indigenous-led conservation efforts and advocate for stronger wildlife protection laws. Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Support Blonde Capuchins by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Andrade, B. M. T., Freire-Filho, R., & Bezerra, B. (2020). The behaviours of a female blonde capuchin (Sapajus flavius) towards her dead infant. Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-bja10031
Bastos, M., Medeiros, K., Jones, G., & Bezerra, B. (2018). Small but wise: Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) use acoustic signals as cues to avoid interactions with blonde capuchin monkeys (Sapajus flavius). American Journal of Primatology, 80(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22744
Bezerra, B. M., Bastos, M., Souto, A., Keasey, M. P., Eason, P., Schiel, N., & Jones, G. (2014). Camera Trap Observations of Nonhabituated Critically Endangered Wild Blonde Capuchins, Sapajus flavius (Formerly Cebus flavius). International Journal of Primatology, 35(5), 895–907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-014-9782-4
Hance, J.(2011). Critically endangered capuchins make tools to gather termites. Mongabay https://news.mongabay.com/2011/03/critically-endangered-capuchins-make-tools-to-gather-termites/
Medeiros, K., Bastos, M., Jones, G., & Bezerra, B. (2019). Behavior, Diet, and Habitat Use by Blonde Capuchin Monkeys (Sapajus flavius) in a Coastal Area Prone to Flooding: Direct Observations and Camera Trapping. International Journal of Primatology, 40(5), 511–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-019-00103-z
Prado-Sañudo, M. L., Giraldo, A., & Bolívar, W. (2020). Population status of Sapajus flavius in the Western and Central Andes of Colombia. Boletín Científico Centro de Museos Museo de Historia Natural, 24(2), 116-124. https://doi.org/10.17151/bccm.2020.24.2.8
Valença-Montenegro, M.M., Bezerra, B.M., Martins, A.B., Jerusalinsky, L., Fialho, M.S. & Lynch Alfaro, J.W. 2021. Sapajus flavius (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T136253A192592928. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T136253A192592928.en. Accessed on 10 February 2025.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Blonde capuchin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blond_capuchin
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 1,397 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your supportLearn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global South America S.E. Asia India Africa West Papua & PNGSavage’s Glass Frog Centrolene savagei
Pesquets Parrot Psittrichas fulgidus
Tanimbar Eclectus Parrot Eclectus riedeli
Malayan Flying Fox Pteropus vampyrus
Mountain Cuscus Phalanger carmelitae
Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
Read more#Andes #animals #BlondeCapuchinSapajusFlavius #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #capuchin #Capuchins #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #ForgottenAnimals #hunting #meat #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation_ #monkey #monkeys #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #pet #pettrade #poaching #Primate #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #soyDeforestation #sugarCane #vegan
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Brazilian three-banded armadillo Tolypeutes tricinctus
Brazilian three-banded armadillo Tolypeutes tricinctus
Vulnerable
Extant (resident): Brazil: Minas Gerais, Bahia, Alagoas, Sergipe, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Goiás, Tocantins, Piauí, Paraíba, Ceará, Maranhão.
The Brazilian three-banded #armadillo Tolypeutes tricinctus, known as “tatu-bola” in Portuguese, is a rare and unique species native to #Brazil. With the ability to roll into a near-impenetrable ball, this endearing behaviour has made them an icon of conservation efforts. They are found in the dry forests and savannahs of Brazil, particularly in the #Cerrado and Caatinga biomes. These fascinating armoured creatures are Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to agricultural expansion for #palmoil, #soy and #meat. Fragmentation of their ecosystem is ongoing for infrastructure projects and #goldmining. With their population in sharp decline, efforts to protect their habitats are essential for their survival. Help them every time you shop and adopt a #vegan diet, and #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottGold #Boycott4Wildlife on social media!
Resilient Brazilian three-banded #armadillos are fascinating real-life #pokemon of #SouthAmerica. They’re vulnerable from #palmoil meat and soy #deforestation in #Brazil. Resist their #extinction! Be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8R9
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterBrazilian three-banded #armadillos are the adorable armoured tanks of #Brazil’s #Cerrado who can curl into an armoured ball. They are #vulnerable from #deforestation. Help them survive by being #vegan and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8R9
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance & Behaviour
- The word “armadillo” means “little armoured one” in Spanish.
- They are known as ‘kwaráu’ in the now extinct Huamoé language and ˈkʌ̨́ñíkį̀ in the Kambiwá language of Brazil.
- Brazilian three-banded armadillos have a good nose and can smell termites and ants through up to 20 cm of soil.
- Their loose armour creates a layer of air, helping them to regulate their temperature in harsh climates.
- They are one of only two armadillo species that can roll into a tight ball.
Brazilian three-banded armadillos are easily recognised by their distinctive armour, which is composed of bony plates known as scutes. These scutes, covered in keratinised skin, form a protective shell around the animal’s body, allowing them to roll into a tight ball when threatened. This unique defence mechanism makes them virtually immune to most natural predators in the wild – except for humans. Their compact body length of 22 to 27 cm and a weight of about 1 to 1.6 kg makes it easy for them to navigate in the forest.
Their distinctive sharp claws and elongated snouts are perfectly adapted for foraging for ants and termites. Although primarily solitary, they sometimes travel in small family groups. They keep their noses to the ground sniffing out insects and move in a deliberate cautious way. Unlike other burrowing armadillos they prefer to hide in bushes for shelter and camouflage.
Threats
Deforestation for palm oil, soy and meat agriculture
Forest and grassland destruction for soy, palm oil, sugar cane and meat plantations is a serious threat. This has drastically reduced the Brazilian three-banded armadillo’s range in the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes.
Human encroachment for infrastructure projects
The Brazilian three-banded armadillo is impervious to many natural threats in their environment. However, infrastructure projects, roads, housing have become a significant threat to their survival.
Illegal hunting
Brazilian three-banded armadillos are hunted for their skins and meat.
Conservation
Conservation efforts for the Brazilian three-banded armadillo are indirect and focused on habitat protection rather than direct intervention. Protected areas within the Cerrado and Caatinga offer some refuge for the species. Yet large portions of their habitat remains at risk for deforestation.
Habitat
Resilient and tough, this armadillo has adapted over millions of years to thrive in harsh landscapes of poor rainfall and poor soil. Brazilian three-banded armadillos are found primarily in the northeastern regions of Brazil, inhabiting the open savannahs of the Cerrado and the dry woodlands of the Caatinga.
Diet
Brazilian three-banded armadillos are primarily insectivores, relying heavily on ants and termites as their main food source. Sharp claws allow them to dig into insect nests, and they use their long, sticky tongues to collect the prey. Occasionally they supplement their diet with molluscs, worms, fruit, and carrion.
Mating and breeding
The breeding season occurs between October and January. After a gestation period of approximately 120 days, females give birth to a single pup. Newborns are born blind, and their armour remains soft and pliable in the first weeks of life. A young armadillo’s shell hardens by week four. By this time they will be capable of protective rolling into a ball and walking. They are weaned by 10 weeks of age and reach reproductive maturity between 9 and 12 months.
Support Brazilian Three-Banded Armadillos by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Miranda, F., Moraes-Barros, N., Superina, M., & Abba, A. M. (2014). Tolypeutes tricinctus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T21975A47443455. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T21975A47443455.en
Wikipedia Contributors. (n.d.). Brazilian three-banded armadillo. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_three-banded_armadillo
Animalia. (n.d.). Brazilian Three-Banded Armadillo. Retrieved from https://animalia.bio/brazilian-three-banded-armadillo
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
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Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your supportLearn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global South America S.E. Asia India Africa West Papua & PNGBrazilian three-banded armadillo Tolypeutes tricinctus
Sumatran Tiger Panthera tigris sondaica
Bateleur Eagle Terathopius ecaudatus
Borneo Forest Dragon Gonocephalus bornensis
Orange-breasted Falcon Falco deiroleucus
Sunda Clouded Leopard Neofelis diardi
Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
Read more#animals #armadillo #armadillos #Bantrophyhunting #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottGold #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #BrazilianThreeBandedArmadilloTolypeutesTricinctus #Cerrado #deforestation #extinction #ForgottenAnimals #goldMining #goldmining #hunting #meat #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation_ #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #poachers #poaching #pokemon #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #SouthAmerica #soy #soyDeforestation #vegan #vulnerable #VulnerableSpecies
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Orange-breasted Falcon Falco deiroleucus
Orange-breasted Falcon Falco deiroleucus
Near Threatened
Extant (resident)
Belize; Venezuela, Bolivia
Extant (possibly breeding)
Argentina; Bolivia, Brazil; Colombia; Ecuador; Guatemala; Guyana; Honduras; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Suriname; Trinidad and Tobago.
Possibly extinct
Costa Rica
The vibrant Orange-breasted #Falcon Falco deiroleucus soars through the skies of Central and #SouthAmerica. With their striking orange and black plumage and powerful and agile hunting skills, these falcons are truly a marvel to behold. Sadly, these #birds face significant threats from #palmoil, #goldmining, #soy and #meat deforestation. You can help protect these magnificent birds every time you shop. Make sure that you #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottGold and #BoycottMeat to help them survive! It’s the #Boycott4Wildlife.
https://youtu.be/fO7KLTqyS68?si=qKAa5kr9DecSXzMz
Powerful rulers of the skies in #Colombia #Brazil and #Ecuador, Orange-breasted Falcons 🦅 face threats from #palmoil #meat #soy and #gold #deforestation across their range. Fight for them when you shop #Boycottpalmoil 🚫#BoycottGold 🪙 #Boycott4Wildlife🌳 https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8tM
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterDYK Orange-breasted 🦅 Falcon’s striking orange 🧡 and black 🖤 plumage helps their courtship displays? 💕Sadly, these beautiful #birds are under threat from #palmoil #soy and #gold #deforestation. Help them and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌍✨ https://wp.me/pcFhgU-8tM
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance & Behaviour
These falcons are known for their incredible hunting prowess. They are agile fliers, capable of high-speed pursuits and sudden, sharp turns to catch their prey. Their striking orange and black plumage not only serves as a visual treat but also plays a role in their courtship displays.
The Orange-breasted Falcon is a medium-sized bird of prey, measuring about 35-40 cm (14-16 inches) in length. Males weigh between 325-425 grams (11-15 ounces), while females are larger, weighing between 550-700 grams (19-25 ounces). Their distinctive plumage features a rich and vibrant coloured orange breast that contrasts to their black wings and back. Both sexes have similar plumage, but females are larger. These falcons are known for their robust and stocky build and large heads and talons, which make them powerful hunters stalking the skies.
Threats
- Deforestation for palm oil, soy, gold mining and cattle ranching
- Human persecution and hunting
- Pesticide use in agriculture, which affects their prey base
- Competition for nest sites with Black Vultures
- Impact of Africanised bees on nesting sites
Empower yourself to make a difference. Together, we can fight for the survival of the Orange-breasted Falcon by making mindful choices. #BoycottPalmOil and support wildlife-friendly products. Share this page and join the movement to protect our precious wildlife. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
Habitat
The Orange-breasted Falcon is found in tropical forests and savannas across Central and South America, from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. They prefer habitats with tall trees and open spaces that allow for their high-speed hunting. They are most commonly found in Belize, Guatemala, and Panama, though their range has significantly reduced over time.
Diet
These falcons are carnivorous, primarily feeding on other birds and small mammals. They are skilled hunters, often capturing prey mid-flight with their sharp talons. Their diet includes a wide variety of birds and occasionally bats.
Mating and breeding
Orange-breasted Falcons typically nest in tall trees or on cliff ledges. They lay 2-3 eggs, which are incubated by the female for about 30-34 days. Both parents are involved in feeding and caring for the chicks until they are ready to fledge, approximately 40-45 days after hatching.
Support Orange-breasted Falcon by going vegan and boycotting palm oil, gold and meat when you shop, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
BirdLife International. 2016. Falco deiroleucus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22696516A93569126. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22696516A93569126.en. Accessed on 05 June 2024.
Orange-breasted Falcon. (2024). In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 5, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange-breasted_falcon
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
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Join 3,180 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Read moreMel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Read moreAnthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Read moreHealth Physician Dr Evan Allen
Read moreThe World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
Read moreHow do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
Read more3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your supportLearn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global South America S.E. Asia India Africa West Papua & PNGSanta Catarina’s Guinea Pig Cavia intermedia
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Keep readingLearn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
Read more #animals #Belize #Bird #birdOfPrey #birds #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottGold #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #Colombia #deforestation #Ecuador #Falcon #ForgottenAnimals #gold #goldmining #Guatamala #Honduras #hunting #meat #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #Mexico #NearThreatenedSpecies #OrangeBreastedFalconFalcoDeiroleucus #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #poaching #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #SouthAmerica #soy #soyDeforestation #Suriname #Venezuela #VulnerableSpecies -
Almost 90% of the world’s animal species will lose some habitat to agriculture by 2050
Scientists know that #biodiversity is declining across much of the world although less universally and dramatically than we feared. We also know that things are likely to get worse in the future, with a combination of #deforestation, #climatechange and overexploitation set to drive species and habitats ever closer to #extinction. Help them every time you shop and be #vegan #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
The biggest threat to #biodiversity 🐘🌿🦒 is from #deforestation for food #agriculture. Protect #rainforest and ocean animals with a #plantbased #vegan diet, use your wallet as a weapon and #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔🙊⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/03/20/almost-90-of-the-worlds-animal-species-will-lose-some-habitat-to-agriculture-by-2050/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterWhat we don’t know, is what to do about this. Partly this is because conservation is woefully underfunded. But it’s also because the underlying causes of biodiversity declines are getting stronger and stronger every year. Climate change rightly gets a huge amount of coverage, but for biodiversity, the biggest threat actually comes from the destruction of natural habitats to make way for agriculture. And as global populations grow, and people become wealthier and consume more, that need for new agricultural land is just going to increase, resulting in at least 2 million sq km of new farmland by 2050, and maybe as much as 10 million.
Ensuring that this coming wave of agricultural expansion doesn’t lead to widespread biodiversity losses is going to require a big increase in “conventional” conservation approaches (protected areas and the like), but it is probably going to require something more too. These existing approaches are similar to performing heart surgery: very effective for the targeted species and habitats, but also not feasible for every species.
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Instead, we need to tackle the underlying causes, or conservation is not going to be able to cope. What we set out to do in a study just published in Nature Sustainability is to work out exactly which landscapes and species are likely to be the most threatened by agriculture in the future, and which specific changes to the food system give us the best chance of safeguarding wild biodiversity in different parts of the world.
Biodiversity under business-as-usual
Madagascar is a hotspot for biodiversity – and deforestation. Dudarev Mikhail / shutterstockTo do this, we developed a method to forecast where agricultural land is likely to expand at very fine spatial scales (1.5km x 1.5km). We then overlaid these forecasts with habitat maps for almost 20,000 species of amphibians, birds and mammals, and observations of whether each species can exist in agricultural land. This allowed us to calculate the proportion of habitat each species would lose from 2010 to 2050.
Projected changes in total habitat (mean habitat loss in a cell multiplied by the number of species present) caused by agriculture expansion by 2050. Note the concentrations in East and West Africa. Williams & Clark et al 2020Overall, we projected that almost 88% of species will lose habitat, with 1,280 losing over a quarter of their remaining habitat.
By looking at the impact on individual species in this way, and at such a fine spatial scale, we were able to identify specific regions, and even species, that are likely to be in serious need of conservation support in the coming decades.
Losses are likely to be particularly bad in Sub-saharan Africa, especially in the Rift Valley and equatorial West Africa, but there will also be serious declines in Latin America – particularly in the Atlantic Rainforest – and South-East Asia.
The fingernail-sized pumpkin toadlet is only found in Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest, and could lose almost all its remaining habitat to agricultural expansion. Pedro Bernardo/ShutterstockImportantly, many of the species projected to lose a lot of habitat are not currently threatened, and so conservationists may not be concerned about them. We think this kind of species and location-specific forecasting is going to be increasingly important if we are to proactively work to prevent biodiversity losses.
Proactive changes to help save biodiversity
OK, so far so bleak. Fortunately, there are some things we could do to alleviate this habitat loss, including: raise yields, eat healthier plant based diets, reduce food waste, or even a take a global approach to land-use planning, which could direct food production away from the most at-risk regions. In our study, we found that a combination of all four actions could avoid the vast majority of habitat loss seen under business-as-usual. Doing so, however, will require concerted efforts from governments, companies, NGOs, and individual people.
Our approach allowed us to tease apart which approaches are likely to have the biggest impacts in different parts of the world. In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, our results suggest increasing yields is one of the biggest single things you can do to save biodiversity. It means you can produce the food you need from much smaller areas, and so massively reduce habitat clearance.
Palm oil creates ecological wastelands and species extinction
In contrast, yield increases will do very little in North America, where yields are already close to their maximum. Shifting to healthier diets, however, could have a massive impact in North America, reducing demand for animal products, and therefore demand for new agricultural land. Again, this contrasts with Sub-Saharan Africa, where healthier diets may actually involve increased consumption of both calories and animal products, and therefore will not bring great biodiversity benefits.
Saving biodiversity while feeding 10 billion
Importantly, we only looked at the impact of agricultural expansion on biodiversity. Other threats facing wild nature include climate change, pollution, habitat destruction for other reasons, or overharvesting resources like fish or valuable tropical hardwoods. Still, biodiversity is likely to decline massively, and conventional conservation is unlikely to be able to cope.
Nonetheless, our research at least provides some hope. With swift, ambitious and coordinated action, we can indeed provide a healthy and secure diet for the world’s population without further major loss of habitats. Many of these actions should be priorities anyway, at every level from individual actions to international policy. Healthier diets to combat perhaps the greatest public health crisis in the world; wasting less food; increasing agricultural yields to improve food security; these are all hugely important goals in their own right.
David Williams, Lecturer in Sustainability and the Environment, University of Leeds and Michael Clark, Postdoctoral Researcher, Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, University of Oxford
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
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Join 3,180 other subscribersShare palm oil free purchases online and shame companies still using dirty palm oil!
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https://twitter.com/ECOWARRIORSS/status/1625103083175923713
https://twitter.com/MAPICC2021/status/1643269215929999360
https://twitter.com/netzfrauen/status/1806059662703222960
https://twitter.com/JosieAllan4/status/1716432333698392163
https://twitter.com/ChiweenieT14381/status/1872709841040687385
#AfricanNews #Agriculture #AnimalBiodiversityNews #animalExtinction #animalRights #animals #biodiversity #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #climateChange #climatechange #conservation #deforestation #environment #extinction #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation #palmOilDeforestation #plantbased #rainforest #vegan -
Almost 90% of the world’s animal species will lose some habitat to agriculture by 2050
Scientists know that #biodiversity is declining across much of the world although less universally and dramatically than we feared. We also know that things are likely to get worse in the future, with a combination of #deforestation, #climatechange and overexploitation set to drive species and habitats ever closer to #extinction. Help them every time you shop and be #vegan #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
The biggest threat to #biodiversity 🐘🌿🦒 is from #deforestation for food #agriculture. Protect #rainforest and ocean animals with a #plantbased #vegan diet, use your wallet as a weapon and #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔🙊⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/03/20/almost-90-of-the-worlds-animal-species-will-lose-some-habitat-to-agriculture-by-2050/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterWhat we don’t know, is what to do about this. Partly this is because conservation is woefully underfunded. But it’s also because the underlying causes of biodiversity declines are getting stronger and stronger every year. Climate change rightly gets a huge amount of coverage, but for biodiversity, the biggest threat actually comes from the destruction of natural habitats to make way for agriculture. And as global populations grow, and people become wealthier and consume more, that need for new agricultural land is just going to increase, resulting in at least 2 million sq km of new farmland by 2050, and maybe as much as 10 million.
Ensuring that this coming wave of agricultural expansion doesn’t lead to widespread biodiversity losses is going to require a big increase in “conventional” conservation approaches (protected areas and the like), but it is probably going to require something more too. These existing approaches are similar to performing heart surgery: very effective for the targeted species and habitats, but also not feasible for every species.
Sumatran Tiger Panthera tigris sondaica
The Sumatran tiger Panthera tigris sondaica is a critically endangered big cat, with less than 600 of their species alive in the wild today. Once living in…
Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus
The Glaucous #Macaw stands out not only for their vibrant coloration but also for their vocalisations, which led to its Guaraní name “guaa-obi.” As part of a…
Attenborough’s Long-Beaked Echidna Zaglossus attenboroughi
Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi), known locally as “Payangko,” is one of the most evolutionarily distinct mammals and is native to the Cyclops Mountains in Papua, Indonesia.…
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Instead, we need to tackle the underlying causes, or conservation is not going to be able to cope. What we set out to do in a study just published in Nature Sustainability is to work out exactly which landscapes and species are likely to be the most threatened by agriculture in the future, and which specific changes to the food system give us the best chance of safeguarding wild biodiversity in different parts of the world.
Biodiversity under business-as-usual
Madagascar is a hotspot for biodiversity – and deforestation. Dudarev Mikhail / shutterstockTo do this, we developed a method to forecast where agricultural land is likely to expand at very fine spatial scales (1.5km x 1.5km). We then overlaid these forecasts with habitat maps for almost 20,000 species of amphibians, birds and mammals, and observations of whether each species can exist in agricultural land. This allowed us to calculate the proportion of habitat each species would lose from 2010 to 2050.
Projected changes in total habitat (mean habitat loss in a cell multiplied by the number of species present) caused by agriculture expansion by 2050. Note the concentrations in East and West Africa. Williams & Clark et al 2020Overall, we projected that almost 88% of species will lose habitat, with 1,280 losing over a quarter of their remaining habitat.
By looking at the impact on individual species in this way, and at such a fine spatial scale, we were able to identify specific regions, and even species, that are likely to be in serious need of conservation support in the coming decades.
Losses are likely to be particularly bad in Sub-saharan Africa, especially in the Rift Valley and equatorial West Africa, but there will also be serious declines in Latin America – particularly in the Atlantic Rainforest – and South-East Asia.
The fingernail-sized pumpkin toadlet is only found in Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest, and could lose almost all its remaining habitat to agricultural expansion. Pedro Bernardo/ShutterstockImportantly, many of the species projected to lose a lot of habitat are not currently threatened, and so conservationists may not be concerned about them. We think this kind of species and location-specific forecasting is going to be increasingly important if we are to proactively work to prevent biodiversity losses.
Proactive changes to help save biodiversity
OK, so far so bleak. Fortunately, there are some things we could do to alleviate this habitat loss, including: raise yields, eat healthier plant based diets, reduce food waste, or even a take a global approach to land-use planning, which could direct food production away from the most at-risk regions. In our study, we found that a combination of all four actions could avoid the vast majority of habitat loss seen under business-as-usual. Doing so, however, will require concerted efforts from governments, companies, NGOs, and individual people.
Our approach allowed us to tease apart which approaches are likely to have the biggest impacts in different parts of the world. In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, our results suggest increasing yields is one of the biggest single things you can do to save biodiversity. It means you can produce the food you need from much smaller areas, and so massively reduce habitat clearance.
Palm oil creates ecological wastelands and species extinction
In contrast, yield increases will do very little in North America, where yields are already close to their maximum. Shifting to healthier diets, however, could have a massive impact in North America, reducing demand for animal products, and therefore demand for new agricultural land. Again, this contrasts with Sub-Saharan Africa, where healthier diets may actually involve increased consumption of both calories and animal products, and therefore will not bring great biodiversity benefits.
Saving biodiversity while feeding 10 billion
Importantly, we only looked at the impact of agricultural expansion on biodiversity. Other threats facing wild nature include climate change, pollution, habitat destruction for other reasons, or overharvesting resources like fish or valuable tropical hardwoods. Still, biodiversity is likely to decline massively, and conventional conservation is unlikely to be able to cope.
Nonetheless, our research at least provides some hope. With swift, ambitious and coordinated action, we can indeed provide a healthy and secure diet for the world’s population without further major loss of habitats. Many of these actions should be priorities anyway, at every level from individual actions to international policy. Healthier diets to combat perhaps the greatest public health crisis in the world; wasting less food; increasing agricultural yields to improve food security; these are all hugely important goals in their own right.
David Williams, Lecturer in Sustainability and the Environment, University of Leeds and Michael Clark, Postdoctoral Researcher, Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, University of Oxford
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
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#AfricanNews #Agriculture #AnimalBiodiversityNews #animalExtinction #animalRights #animals #biodiversity #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #climateChange #climatechange #conservation #deforestation #environment #extinction #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation_ #palmOilDeforestation #plantbased #rainforest #vegan
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Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
IUCN Status: Endangered
Location: Brazil (southern Bahia, eastern Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo). In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, where morning mist clings to ancient trees, the crested capuchin moves through their shrinking world with quiet intelligence.
The crested capuchin stands as one of Brazil’s most endangered primates. Their distinctive scarlet crests catch filtered sunlight as they navigate forest fragments between the Jequitinhonha and Doce rivers. With only 14,400 individuals remaining, these intelligent tool-users face extinction as palm oil plantations, soy agriculture, and urban sprawl devour their ancestral homes. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop and be #Vegan to help their survival.
Cheeky Crested #Capuchins are gregarious tool-using #monkeys, #endangered in #Brazil 🇧🇷 from #palmoil 🌴⛔️ meat 🥩🐮⛔️ and soy #deforestation and the illegal #pettrade 🏹 Help save them, when you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/06/12/crested-capuchin-sapajus-robustus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterMain threats to Crested Capuchins are agriculture, urban sprawl, deforestation, increasing energy matrix, increasing road matrix habitat fragmentation, habitat reduction, hunting, harvesting and extensive areas of monoculture eucalyptus and pine.
IUCN red list
Appearance and Behaviour
The Crested Capuchin’s most striking feature blazes against the Atlantic forest canopy —a conical crest of brilliant scarlet adorned with a black spot. Their crests may extend around their faces, creating elegant black beards. Their robust bodies measure 33-57 centimetres with tails reaching 40-47 centimetres. Males weigh up to 3.8 kilograms.
These remarkable and gregarious primates reveal intelligence through sophisticated tool use. They employ eleven distinct actions including hammering, probing, and sponging. The social structure of Crested Capuchins features linear hierarchies spanning both sexes, with dominant males commanding respect from highest-ranking females.
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustusDiet
Crested capuchins are master foragers. As frugivore-insectivores, they feast on fruits from 56 native species, protein-rich arthropods, tender shoots and leaves, and occasionally small mammals. Their nimble little hands extract seeds from tough-shelled fruits with craftsperson precision. Crested capuchins maintain preferences for wild forest fruits even when exotic options become available, allowing them to maintain home ranges of approximately 120 hectares.
Reproduction and Mating
Groups of capuchins ranging from 12 to 27 individuals create dynamic communities. Males typically disperse from natal groups seeking new territories. Females remain within birth communities, creating matrilineal bonds spanning generations. Dominant males secure priority access to females during breeding seasons. Mothers teach essential foraging skills and social behaviours determining offspring survival prospects.
Geographic Range
Once ranging broadly between the Doce and Jequitinhonha rivers across Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia, crested capuchins now survive primarily in forest fragments. Climate projections predict significant habitat deterioration by 2070. Their extent of occurrence spans greater than 119,000 square kilometres, yet actual occupancy remains unknown as habitat fragments into smaller islands.
Threats
Cattle ranching, timber, palm oil and soy deforestation
Palm oil plantations strip away multilayered canopy, replacing complex ecosystems with sterile monocultures. Soy cultivation and cattle ranching carve geometric scars across landscapes. Roads slice through forest fragments, creating barriers preventing genetic exchange. Energy infrastructure fragments habitat further. Urban sprawl consumes forest edges with relentless appetite. Pine and eucalyptus plantations replace native forest with fast-growing exotic trees providing neither food nor shelter.
Hunting and illegal wildlife trade
Hunters target crested capuchins for bushmeat near human settlements. The illegal pet trade tears infants from mothers’ arms, condemning them to stress, loneliness, and early death. Young capuchins suffer psychological trauma often proving fatal. Local communities facing economic hardship may turn to hunting as protein sources. Law enforcement struggles to patrol vast fragmented areas.
Climate change
Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns disrupt seasonal rhythms. Prolonged droughts stress fruit trees, reducing food source abundance. Earlier or delayed fruiting seasons create mismatches between peak food availability and energy demand periods. Extreme weather events caused by climate change destroy habitat and force populations of crested capuchins into marginal areas.
Take Action!
Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop. Reject soy-fed meat and adopt a vegan lifestyle protecting wild and farmed animals. Support indigenous-led protection and agroecology. Refuse products containing palm oil and meat, which is driving Atlantic Forest deforestation. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife and go plant-based every time you shop.
FAQs
What is the current population of crested capuchins?
The total remaining population of Crested Capuchins is estimated at 14,400 individual monkeys based on census data in protected areas. Population densities range from 2.47 sightings per 10 kilometres in protected areas to 0.22 groups per 10 square kilometres in degraded habitats. Groups of capuchins typically consist of 12-15 individuals, though larger assemblages of up to 27 individuals show remarkable fluidity. The species faces ongoing population decline of at least 50% over three generations due to continuing habitat loss.
How long do crested capuchins live?
Related capuchin species typically live 15-25 years in the wild and potentially longer in captivity. Their longevity depends heavily on habitat quality, food availability, and human disturbance levels. Dominant individuals may enjoy better access to resources and greater longevity. However, ongoing deforestation and declining food availability may be reducing average lifespans of Crested Capuchins as individuals face increased stress and greater exposure to human-related mortality factors.
What are the main conservation challenges facing crested capuchins?
The primary challenge is relentless destruction of their Atlantic Forest habitat, with less than 12% of original forest remaining in small, isolated fragments. Palm oil plantations, soy cultivation for livestock feed, and cattle ranching continue converting forest into monocultures. Climate change compounds pressures by altering rainfall patterns, potentially making suitable habitat uninhabitable by 2070. Hunting for bushmeat and illegal pet trade further reduce numbers while disrupting social structures. Their restricted range makes them particularly vulnerable to local extinctions.
What are some interesting and unusual facts about crested capuchins?
Crested capuchins display remarkable intelligence through sophisticated tool use, employing eleven distinct actions including hammering, probing, and sponging. They modify tools for specific tasks and learn from watching companions. Their most distinctive feature is the brilliant scarlet conical crest adorned with a black spot. They show remarkable dietary flexibility, maintaining preferences for wild forest fruits even when exotic cultivated options become available. Their social groups can reach up to 27 individuals with remarkable fluidity, sometimes forming temporary subgroups.
Do crested capuchins make good pets?
Absolutely not. Crested capuchins suffer extreme stress, loneliness, and early death in captivity. These highly social primates have complex needs that cannot be met domestically. The illegal pet trade rips infants from mothers’ arms, causing severe trauma while removing breeding individuals from critically endangered populations. They require sophisticated social interactions, diverse natural foods, and extensive territories. Legal ownership is prohibited under Brazilian law, making possession illegal and unethical.
Further Information
Chiarello, A. G. (1999). Effects of fragmentation of the Atlantic forest on mammal communities in south-eastern Brazil. Biological Conservation, 89(1), 71-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00130-X
Fragaszy, D. M., Izar, P., Visalberghi, E., Ottoni, E. B., & de Oliveira, M. G. (2004). Wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus libidinosus) use anvils and stone pounding tools. American Journal of Primatology, 64(4), 359-366. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20085
Martins, W. P., de Melo, F. R., Kierulff, M. C. M., Mittermeier, R. A., Lynch Alfaro, J. W., & Jerusalinsky, L. (2021). Sapajus robustus (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T42697A192592444. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T42697A192592444.en
Santos, P. M., Bocchiglieri, A., & Chiarello, A. G. (2023). Impacts of climate change and habitat loss on the distribution of the endangered crested capuchin monkey (Sapajus robustus). American Journal of Primatology, 85(11), e23548. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23548
Steinberg, D. L., Lynch, J. W., & Cartmill, E. A. (2022). A robust tool kit: First report of tool use in captive crested capuchin monkeys (Sapajus robustus). American Journal of Primatology, 84(11), e23428. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23428
You can support this beautiful animal
There are no known conservation activities for this animal. Share out this post to social media and join the #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife on social media to raise awareness
Further Information
Donate to help orphaned capuchins that are rescued from traffickers. At Merazonia Wildlife Sanctuary
Martins, W.P., de Melo, F.R., Kierulff, M.C.M., Mittermeier, R.A., Lynch Alfaro, J.W. & Jerusalinsky, L. 2021. Sapajus robustus (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T42697A192592444. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T42697A192592444.en. Downloaded on 06 June 2021.
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,529 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #bushmeat #capuchin #Capuchins #climateChange #climatechange #CrestedCapuchinSapajusRobustus #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #hunting #illegalPetTrade #insectivore #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #monkey #monkeys #palmoil #petTrade #pettrade #Primate #primates #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #vegan
-
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
IUCN Status: Endangered
Location: Brazil (southern Bahia, eastern Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo). In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, where morning mist clings to ancient trees, the crested capuchin moves through their shrinking world with quiet intelligence.
The crested capuchin stands as one of Brazil’s most endangered primates. Their distinctive scarlet crests catch filtered sunlight as they navigate forest fragments between the Jequitinhonha and Doce rivers. With only 14,400 individuals remaining, these intelligent tool-users face extinction as palm oil plantations, soy agriculture, and urban sprawl devour their ancestral homes. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop and be #Vegan to help their survival.
Cheeky Crested #Capuchins are gregarious tool-using #monkeys, #endangered in #Brazil 🇧🇷 from #palmoil 🌴⛔️ meat 🥩🐮⛔️ and soy #deforestation and the illegal #pettrade 🏹 Help save them, when you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/06/12/crested-capuchin-sapajus-robustus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterMain threats to Crested Capuchins are agriculture, urban sprawl, deforestation, increasing energy matrix, increasing road matrix habitat fragmentation, habitat reduction, hunting, harvesting and extensive areas of monoculture eucalyptus and pine.
IUCN red list
Appearance and Behaviour
The Crested Capuchin’s most striking feature blazes against the Atlantic forest canopy —a conical crest of brilliant scarlet adorned with a black spot. Their crests may extend around their faces, creating elegant black beards. Their robust bodies measure 33-57 centimetres with tails reaching 40-47 centimetres. Males weigh up to 3.8 kilograms.
These remarkable and gregarious primates reveal intelligence through sophisticated tool use. They employ eleven distinct actions including hammering, probing, and sponging. The social structure of Crested Capuchins features linear hierarchies spanning both sexes, with dominant males commanding respect from highest-ranking females.
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustusDiet
Crested capuchins are master foragers. As frugivore-insectivores, they feast on fruits from 56 native species, protein-rich arthropods, tender shoots and leaves, and occasionally small mammals. Their nimble little hands extract seeds from tough-shelled fruits with craftsperson precision. Crested capuchins maintain preferences for wild forest fruits even when exotic options become available, allowing them to maintain home ranges of approximately 120 hectares.
Reproduction and Mating
Groups of capuchins ranging from 12 to 27 individuals create dynamic communities. Males typically disperse from natal groups seeking new territories. Females remain within birth communities, creating matrilineal bonds spanning generations. Dominant males secure priority access to females during breeding seasons. Mothers teach essential foraging skills and social behaviours determining offspring survival prospects.
Geographic Range
Once ranging broadly between the Doce and Jequitinhonha rivers across Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia, crested capuchins now survive primarily in forest fragments. Climate projections predict significant habitat deterioration by 2070. Their extent of occurrence spans greater than 119,000 square kilometres, yet actual occupancy remains unknown as habitat fragments into smaller islands.
Threats
Cattle ranching, timber, palm oil and soy deforestation
Palm oil plantations strip away multilayered canopy, replacing complex ecosystems with sterile monocultures. Soy cultivation and cattle ranching carve geometric scars across landscapes. Roads slice through forest fragments, creating barriers preventing genetic exchange. Energy infrastructure fragments habitat further. Urban sprawl consumes forest edges with relentless appetite. Pine and eucalyptus plantations replace native forest with fast-growing exotic trees providing neither food nor shelter.
Hunting and illegal wildlife trade
Hunters target crested capuchins for bushmeat near human settlements. The illegal pet trade tears infants from mothers’ arms, condemning them to stress, loneliness, and early death. Young capuchins suffer psychological trauma often proving fatal. Local communities facing economic hardship may turn to hunting as protein sources. Law enforcement struggles to patrol vast fragmented areas.
Climate change
Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns disrupt seasonal rhythms. Prolonged droughts stress fruit trees, reducing food source abundance. Earlier or delayed fruiting seasons create mismatches between peak food availability and energy demand periods. Extreme weather events caused by climate change destroy habitat and force populations of crested capuchins into marginal areas.
Take Action!
Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop. Reject soy-fed meat and adopt a vegan lifestyle protecting wild and farmed animals. Support indigenous-led protection and agroecology. Refuse products containing palm oil and meat, which is driving Atlantic Forest deforestation. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife and go plant-based every time you shop.
FAQs
What is the current population of crested capuchins?
The total remaining population of Crested Capuchins is estimated at 14,400 individual monkeys based on census data in protected areas. Population densities range from 2.47 sightings per 10 kilometres in protected areas to 0.22 groups per 10 square kilometres in degraded habitats. Groups of capuchins typically consist of 12-15 individuals, though larger assemblages of up to 27 individuals show remarkable fluidity. The species faces ongoing population decline of at least 50% over three generations due to continuing habitat loss.
How long do crested capuchins live?
Related capuchin species typically live 15-25 years in the wild and potentially longer in captivity. Their longevity depends heavily on habitat quality, food availability, and human disturbance levels. Dominant individuals may enjoy better access to resources and greater longevity. However, ongoing deforestation and declining food availability may be reducing average lifespans of Crested Capuchins as individuals face increased stress and greater exposure to human-related mortality factors.
What are the main conservation challenges facing crested capuchins?
The primary challenge is relentless destruction of their Atlantic Forest habitat, with less than 12% of original forest remaining in small, isolated fragments. Palm oil plantations, soy cultivation for livestock feed, and cattle ranching continue converting forest into monocultures. Climate change compounds pressures by altering rainfall patterns, potentially making suitable habitat uninhabitable by 2070. Hunting for bushmeat and illegal pet trade further reduce numbers while disrupting social structures. Their restricted range makes them particularly vulnerable to local extinctions.
What are some interesting and unusual facts about crested capuchins?
Crested capuchins display remarkable intelligence through sophisticated tool use, employing eleven distinct actions including hammering, probing, and sponging. They modify tools for specific tasks and learn from watching companions. Their most distinctive feature is the brilliant scarlet conical crest adorned with a black spot. They show remarkable dietary flexibility, maintaining preferences for wild forest fruits even when exotic cultivated options become available. Their social groups can reach up to 27 individuals with remarkable fluidity, sometimes forming temporary subgroups.
Do crested capuchins make good pets?
Absolutely not. Crested capuchins suffer extreme stress, loneliness, and early death in captivity. These highly social primates have complex needs that cannot be met domestically. The illegal pet trade rips infants from mothers’ arms, causing severe trauma while removing breeding individuals from critically endangered populations. They require sophisticated social interactions, diverse natural foods, and extensive territories. Legal ownership is prohibited under Brazilian law, making possession illegal and unethical.
Further Information
Chiarello, A. G. (1999). Effects of fragmentation of the Atlantic forest on mammal communities in south-eastern Brazil. Biological Conservation, 89(1), 71-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00130-X
Fragaszy, D. M., Izar, P., Visalberghi, E., Ottoni, E. B., & de Oliveira, M. G. (2004). Wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus libidinosus) use anvils and stone pounding tools. American Journal of Primatology, 64(4), 359-366. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20085
Martins, W. P., de Melo, F. R., Kierulff, M. C. M., Mittermeier, R. A., Lynch Alfaro, J. W., & Jerusalinsky, L. (2021). Sapajus robustus (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T42697A192592444. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T42697A192592444.en
Santos, P. M., Bocchiglieri, A., & Chiarello, A. G. (2023). Impacts of climate change and habitat loss on the distribution of the endangered crested capuchin monkey (Sapajus robustus). American Journal of Primatology, 85(11), e23548. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23548
Steinberg, D. L., Lynch, J. W., & Cartmill, E. A. (2022). A robust tool kit: First report of tool use in captive crested capuchin monkeys (Sapajus robustus). American Journal of Primatology, 84(11), e23428. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23428
You can support this beautiful animal
There are no known conservation activities for this animal. Share out this post to social media and join the #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife on social media to raise awareness
Further Information
Donate to help orphaned capuchins that are rescued from traffickers. At Merazonia Wildlife Sanctuary
Martins, W.P., de Melo, F.R., Kierulff, M.C.M., Mittermeier, R.A., Lynch Alfaro, J.W. & Jerusalinsky, L. 2021. Sapajus robustus (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T42697A192592444. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T42697A192592444.en. Downloaded on 06 June 2021.
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,529 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #bushmeat #capuchin #Capuchins #climateChange #climatechange #CrestedCapuchinSapajusRobustus #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #hunting #illegalPetTrade #insectivore #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #monkey #monkeys #palmoil #petTrade #pettrade #Primate #primates #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #vegan
-
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
IUCN Status: Endangered
Location: Brazil (southern Bahia, eastern Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo). In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, where morning mist clings to ancient trees, the crested capuchin moves through their shrinking world with quiet intelligence.
The crested capuchin stands as one of Brazil’s most endangered primates. Their distinctive scarlet crests catch filtered sunlight as they navigate forest fragments between the Jequitinhonha and Doce rivers. With only 14,400 individuals remaining, these intelligent tool-users face extinction as palm oil plantations, soy agriculture, and urban sprawl devour their ancestral homes. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop and be #Vegan to help their survival.
Cheeky Crested #Capuchins are gregarious tool-using #monkeys, #endangered in #Brazil 🇧🇷 from #palmoil 🌴⛔️ meat 🥩🐮⛔️ and soy #deforestation and the illegal #pettrade 🏹 Help save them, when you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/06/12/crested-capuchin-sapajus-robustus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterMain threats to Crested Capuchins are agriculture, urban sprawl, deforestation, increasing energy matrix, increasing road matrix habitat fragmentation, habitat reduction, hunting, harvesting and extensive areas of monoculture eucalyptus and pine.
IUCN red list
Appearance and Behaviour
The Crested Capuchin’s most striking feature blazes against the Atlantic forest canopy —a conical crest of brilliant scarlet adorned with a black spot. Their crests may extend around their faces, creating elegant black beards. Their robust bodies measure 33-57 centimetres with tails reaching 40-47 centimetres. Males weigh up to 3.8 kilograms.
These remarkable and gregarious primates reveal intelligence through sophisticated tool use. They employ eleven distinct actions including hammering, probing, and sponging. The social structure of Crested Capuchins features linear hierarchies spanning both sexes, with dominant males commanding respect from highest-ranking females.
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustusDiet
Crested capuchins are master foragers. As frugivore-insectivores, they feast on fruits from 56 native species, protein-rich arthropods, tender shoots and leaves, and occasionally small mammals. Their nimble little hands extract seeds from tough-shelled fruits with craftsperson precision. Crested capuchins maintain preferences for wild forest fruits even when exotic options become available, allowing them to maintain home ranges of approximately 120 hectares.
Reproduction and Mating
Groups of capuchins ranging from 12 to 27 individuals create dynamic communities. Males typically disperse from natal groups seeking new territories. Females remain within birth communities, creating matrilineal bonds spanning generations. Dominant males secure priority access to females during breeding seasons. Mothers teach essential foraging skills and social behaviours determining offspring survival prospects.
Geographic Range
Once ranging broadly between the Doce and Jequitinhonha rivers across Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia, crested capuchins now survive primarily in forest fragments. Climate projections predict significant habitat deterioration by 2070. Their extent of occurrence spans greater than 119,000 square kilometres, yet actual occupancy remains unknown as habitat fragments into smaller islands.
Threats
Cattle ranching, timber, palm oil and soy deforestation
Palm oil plantations strip away multilayered canopy, replacing complex ecosystems with sterile monocultures. Soy cultivation and cattle ranching carve geometric scars across landscapes. Roads slice through forest fragments, creating barriers preventing genetic exchange. Energy infrastructure fragments habitat further. Urban sprawl consumes forest edges with relentless appetite. Pine and eucalyptus plantations replace native forest with fast-growing exotic trees providing neither food nor shelter.
Hunting and illegal wildlife trade
Hunters target crested capuchins for bushmeat near human settlements. The illegal pet trade tears infants from mothers’ arms, condemning them to stress, loneliness, and early death. Young capuchins suffer psychological trauma often proving fatal. Local communities facing economic hardship may turn to hunting as protein sources. Law enforcement struggles to patrol vast fragmented areas.
Climate change
Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns disrupt seasonal rhythms. Prolonged droughts stress fruit trees, reducing food source abundance. Earlier or delayed fruiting seasons create mismatches between peak food availability and energy demand periods. Extreme weather events caused by climate change destroy habitat and force populations of crested capuchins into marginal areas.
Take Action!
Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop. Reject soy-fed meat and adopt a vegan lifestyle protecting wild and farmed animals. Support indigenous-led protection and agroecology. Refuse products containing palm oil and meat, which is driving Atlantic Forest deforestation. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife and go plant-based every time you shop.
FAQs
What is the current population of crested capuchins?
The total remaining population of Crested Capuchins is estimated at 14,400 individual monkeys based on census data in protected areas. Population densities range from 2.47 sightings per 10 kilometres in protected areas to 0.22 groups per 10 square kilometres in degraded habitats. Groups of capuchins typically consist of 12-15 individuals, though larger assemblages of up to 27 individuals show remarkable fluidity. The species faces ongoing population decline of at least 50% over three generations due to continuing habitat loss.
How long do crested capuchins live?
Related capuchin species typically live 15-25 years in the wild and potentially longer in captivity. Their longevity depends heavily on habitat quality, food availability, and human disturbance levels. Dominant individuals may enjoy better access to resources and greater longevity. However, ongoing deforestation and declining food availability may be reducing average lifespans of Crested Capuchins as individuals face increased stress and greater exposure to human-related mortality factors.
What are the main conservation challenges facing crested capuchins?
The primary challenge is relentless destruction of their Atlantic Forest habitat, with less than 12% of original forest remaining in small, isolated fragments. Palm oil plantations, soy cultivation for livestock feed, and cattle ranching continue converting forest into monocultures. Climate change compounds pressures by altering rainfall patterns, potentially making suitable habitat uninhabitable by 2070. Hunting for bushmeat and illegal pet trade further reduce numbers while disrupting social structures. Their restricted range makes them particularly vulnerable to local extinctions.
What are some interesting and unusual facts about crested capuchins?
Crested capuchins display remarkable intelligence through sophisticated tool use, employing eleven distinct actions including hammering, probing, and sponging. They modify tools for specific tasks and learn from watching companions. Their most distinctive feature is the brilliant scarlet conical crest adorned with a black spot. They show remarkable dietary flexibility, maintaining preferences for wild forest fruits even when exotic cultivated options become available. Their social groups can reach up to 27 individuals with remarkable fluidity, sometimes forming temporary subgroups.
Do crested capuchins make good pets?
Absolutely not. Crested capuchins suffer extreme stress, loneliness, and early death in captivity. These highly social primates have complex needs that cannot be met domestically. The illegal pet trade rips infants from mothers’ arms, causing severe trauma while removing breeding individuals from critically endangered populations. They require sophisticated social interactions, diverse natural foods, and extensive territories. Legal ownership is prohibited under Brazilian law, making possession illegal and unethical.
Further Information
Chiarello, A. G. (1999). Effects of fragmentation of the Atlantic forest on mammal communities in south-eastern Brazil. Biological Conservation, 89(1), 71-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00130-X
Fragaszy, D. M., Izar, P., Visalberghi, E., Ottoni, E. B., & de Oliveira, M. G. (2004). Wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus libidinosus) use anvils and stone pounding tools. American Journal of Primatology, 64(4), 359-366. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20085
Martins, W. P., de Melo, F. R., Kierulff, M. C. M., Mittermeier, R. A., Lynch Alfaro, J. W., & Jerusalinsky, L. (2021). Sapajus robustus (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T42697A192592444. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T42697A192592444.en
Santos, P. M., Bocchiglieri, A., & Chiarello, A. G. (2023). Impacts of climate change and habitat loss on the distribution of the endangered crested capuchin monkey (Sapajus robustus). American Journal of Primatology, 85(11), e23548. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23548
Steinberg, D. L., Lynch, J. W., & Cartmill, E. A. (2022). A robust tool kit: First report of tool use in captive crested capuchin monkeys (Sapajus robustus). American Journal of Primatology, 84(11), e23428. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23428
You can support this beautiful animal
There are no known conservation activities for this animal. Share out this post to social media and join the #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife on social media to raise awareness
Further Information
Donate to help orphaned capuchins that are rescued from traffickers. At Merazonia Wildlife Sanctuary
Martins, W.P., de Melo, F.R., Kierulff, M.C.M., Mittermeier, R.A., Lynch Alfaro, J.W. & Jerusalinsky, L. 2021. Sapajus robustus (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T42697A192592444. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T42697A192592444.en. Downloaded on 06 June 2021.
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,529 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #bushmeat #capuchin #Capuchins #climateChange #climatechange #CrestedCapuchinSapajusRobustus #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #hunting #illegalPetTrade #insectivore #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #monkey #monkeys #palmoil #petTrade #pettrade #Primate #primates #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #vegan
-
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
IUCN Status: Endangered
Location: Brazil (southern Bahia, eastern Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo). In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, where morning mist clings to ancient trees, the crested capuchin moves through their shrinking world with quiet intelligence.
The crested capuchin stands as one of Brazil’s most endangered primates. Their distinctive scarlet crests catch filtered sunlight as they navigate forest fragments between the Jequitinhonha and Doce rivers. With only 14,400 individuals remaining, these intelligent tool-users face extinction as palm oil plantations, soy agriculture, and urban sprawl devour their ancestral homes. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop and be #Vegan to help their survival.
Cheeky Crested #Capuchins are gregarious tool-using #monkeys, #endangered in #Brazil 🇧🇷 from #palmoil 🌴⛔️ meat 🥩🐮⛔️ and soy #deforestation and the illegal #pettrade 🏹 Help save them, when you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/06/12/crested-capuchin-sapajus-robustus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterMain threats to Crested Capuchins are agriculture, urban sprawl, deforestation, increasing energy matrix, increasing road matrix habitat fragmentation, habitat reduction, hunting, harvesting and extensive areas of monoculture eucalyptus and pine.
IUCN red list
Appearance and Behaviour
The Crested Capuchin’s most striking feature blazes against the Atlantic forest canopy —a conical crest of brilliant scarlet adorned with a black spot. Their crests may extend around their faces, creating elegant black beards. Their robust bodies measure 33-57 centimetres with tails reaching 40-47 centimetres. Males weigh up to 3.8 kilograms.
These remarkable and gregarious primates reveal intelligence through sophisticated tool use. They employ eleven distinct actions including hammering, probing, and sponging. The social structure of Crested Capuchins features linear hierarchies spanning both sexes, with dominant males commanding respect from highest-ranking females.
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustusDiet
Crested capuchins are master foragers. As frugivore-insectivores, they feast on fruits from 56 native species, protein-rich arthropods, tender shoots and leaves, and occasionally small mammals. Their nimble little hands extract seeds from tough-shelled fruits with craftsperson precision. Crested capuchins maintain preferences for wild forest fruits even when exotic options become available, allowing them to maintain home ranges of approximately 120 hectares.
Reproduction and Mating
Groups of capuchins ranging from 12 to 27 individuals create dynamic communities. Males typically disperse from natal groups seeking new territories. Females remain within birth communities, creating matrilineal bonds spanning generations. Dominant males secure priority access to females during breeding seasons. Mothers teach essential foraging skills and social behaviours determining offspring survival prospects.
Geographic Range
Once ranging broadly between the Doce and Jequitinhonha rivers across Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia, crested capuchins now survive primarily in forest fragments. Climate projections predict significant habitat deterioration by 2070. Their extent of occurrence spans greater than 119,000 square kilometres, yet actual occupancy remains unknown as habitat fragments into smaller islands.
Threats
Cattle ranching, timber, palm oil and soy deforestation
Palm oil plantations strip away multilayered canopy, replacing complex ecosystems with sterile monocultures. Soy cultivation and cattle ranching carve geometric scars across landscapes. Roads slice through forest fragments, creating barriers preventing genetic exchange. Energy infrastructure fragments habitat further. Urban sprawl consumes forest edges with relentless appetite. Pine and eucalyptus plantations replace native forest with fast-growing exotic trees providing neither food nor shelter.
Hunting and illegal wildlife trade
Hunters target crested capuchins for bushmeat near human settlements. The illegal pet trade tears infants from mothers’ arms, condemning them to stress, loneliness, and early death. Young capuchins suffer psychological trauma often proving fatal. Local communities facing economic hardship may turn to hunting as protein sources. Law enforcement struggles to patrol vast fragmented areas.
Climate change
Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns disrupt seasonal rhythms. Prolonged droughts stress fruit trees, reducing food source abundance. Earlier or delayed fruiting seasons create mismatches between peak food availability and energy demand periods. Extreme weather events caused by climate change destroy habitat and force populations of crested capuchins into marginal areas.
Take Action!
Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop. Reject soy-fed meat and adopt a vegan lifestyle protecting wild and farmed animals. Support indigenous-led protection and agroecology. Refuse products containing palm oil and meat, which is driving Atlantic Forest deforestation. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife and go plant-based every time you shop.
FAQs
What is the current population of crested capuchins?
The total remaining population of Crested Capuchins is estimated at 14,400 individual monkeys based on census data in protected areas. Population densities range from 2.47 sightings per 10 kilometres in protected areas to 0.22 groups per 10 square kilometres in degraded habitats. Groups of capuchins typically consist of 12-15 individuals, though larger assemblages of up to 27 individuals show remarkable fluidity. The species faces ongoing population decline of at least 50% over three generations due to continuing habitat loss.
How long do crested capuchins live?
Related capuchin species typically live 15-25 years in the wild and potentially longer in captivity. Their longevity depends heavily on habitat quality, food availability, and human disturbance levels. Dominant individuals may enjoy better access to resources and greater longevity. However, ongoing deforestation and declining food availability may be reducing average lifespans of Crested Capuchins as individuals face increased stress and greater exposure to human-related mortality factors.
What are the main conservation challenges facing crested capuchins?
The primary challenge is relentless destruction of their Atlantic Forest habitat, with less than 12% of original forest remaining in small, isolated fragments. Palm oil plantations, soy cultivation for livestock feed, and cattle ranching continue converting forest into monocultures. Climate change compounds pressures by altering rainfall patterns, potentially making suitable habitat uninhabitable by 2070. Hunting for bushmeat and illegal pet trade further reduce numbers while disrupting social structures. Their restricted range makes them particularly vulnerable to local extinctions.
What are some interesting and unusual facts about crested capuchins?
Crested capuchins display remarkable intelligence through sophisticated tool use, employing eleven distinct actions including hammering, probing, and sponging. They modify tools for specific tasks and learn from watching companions. Their most distinctive feature is the brilliant scarlet conical crest adorned with a black spot. They show remarkable dietary flexibility, maintaining preferences for wild forest fruits even when exotic cultivated options become available. Their social groups can reach up to 27 individuals with remarkable fluidity, sometimes forming temporary subgroups.
Do crested capuchins make good pets?
Absolutely not. Crested capuchins suffer extreme stress, loneliness, and early death in captivity. These highly social primates have complex needs that cannot be met domestically. The illegal pet trade rips infants from mothers’ arms, causing severe trauma while removing breeding individuals from critically endangered populations. They require sophisticated social interactions, diverse natural foods, and extensive territories. Legal ownership is prohibited under Brazilian law, making possession illegal and unethical.
Further Information
Chiarello, A. G. (1999). Effects of fragmentation of the Atlantic forest on mammal communities in south-eastern Brazil. Biological Conservation, 89(1), 71-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00130-X
Fragaszy, D. M., Izar, P., Visalberghi, E., Ottoni, E. B., & de Oliveira, M. G. (2004). Wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus libidinosus) use anvils and stone pounding tools. American Journal of Primatology, 64(4), 359-366. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20085
Martins, W. P., de Melo, F. R., Kierulff, M. C. M., Mittermeier, R. A., Lynch Alfaro, J. W., & Jerusalinsky, L. (2021). Sapajus robustus (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T42697A192592444. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T42697A192592444.en
Santos, P. M., Bocchiglieri, A., & Chiarello, A. G. (2023). Impacts of climate change and habitat loss on the distribution of the endangered crested capuchin monkey (Sapajus robustus). American Journal of Primatology, 85(11), e23548. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23548
Steinberg, D. L., Lynch, J. W., & Cartmill, E. A. (2022). A robust tool kit: First report of tool use in captive crested capuchin monkeys (Sapajus robustus). American Journal of Primatology, 84(11), e23428. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23428
You can support this beautiful animal
There are no known conservation activities for this animal. Share out this post to social media and join the #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife on social media to raise awareness
Further Information
Donate to help orphaned capuchins that are rescued from traffickers. At Merazonia Wildlife Sanctuary
Martins, W.P., de Melo, F.R., Kierulff, M.C.M., Mittermeier, R.A., Lynch Alfaro, J.W. & Jerusalinsky, L. 2021. Sapajus robustus (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T42697A192592444. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T42697A192592444.en. Downloaded on 06 June 2021.
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 3,529 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #bushmeat #capuchin #Capuchins #climateChange #climatechange #CrestedCapuchinSapajusRobustus #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #hunting #illegalPetTrade #insectivore #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #monkey #monkeys #palmoil #petTrade #pettrade #Primate #primates #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #vegan
-
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
IUCN Status: Endangered
Location: Brazil (southern Bahia, eastern Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo). In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, where morning mist clings to ancient trees, the crested capuchin moves through their shrinking world with quiet intelligence.
The crested capuchin stands as one of Brazil’s most endangered primates. Their distinctive scarlet crests catch filtered sunlight as they navigate forest fragments between the Jequitinhonha and Doce rivers. With only 14,400 individuals remaining, these intelligent tool-users face extinction as palm oil plantations, soy agriculture, and urban sprawl devour their ancestral homes. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop and be #Vegan to help their survival.
Cheeky Crested #Capuchins are gregarious tool-using #monkeys, #endangered in #Brazil 🇧🇷 from #palmoil 🌴⛔️ meat 🥩🐮⛔️ and soy #deforestation and the illegal #pettrade 🏹 Help save them, when you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/06/12/crested-capuchin-sapajus-robustus/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterMain threats to Crested Capuchins are agriculture, urban sprawl, deforestation, increasing energy matrix, increasing road matrix habitat fragmentation, habitat reduction, hunting, harvesting and extensive areas of monoculture eucalyptus and pine.
IUCN red list
Appearance and Behaviour
The Crested Capuchin’s most striking feature blazes against the Atlantic forest canopy —a conical crest of brilliant scarlet adorned with a black spot. Their crests may extend around their faces, creating elegant black beards. Their robust bodies measure 33-57 centimetres with tails reaching 40-47 centimetres. Males weigh up to 3.8 kilograms.
These remarkable and gregarious primates reveal intelligence through sophisticated tool use. They employ eleven distinct actions including hammering, probing, and sponging. The social structure of Crested Capuchins features linear hierarchies spanning both sexes, with dominant males commanding respect from highest-ranking females.
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustusDiet
Crested capuchins are master foragers. As frugivore-insectivores, they feast on fruits from 56 native species, protein-rich arthropods, tender shoots and leaves, and occasionally small mammals. Their nimble little hands extract seeds from tough-shelled fruits with craftsperson precision. Crested capuchins maintain preferences for wild forest fruits even when exotic options become available, allowing them to maintain home ranges of approximately 120 hectares.
Reproduction and Mating
Groups of capuchins ranging from 12 to 27 individuals create dynamic communities. Males typically disperse from natal groups seeking new territories. Females remain within birth communities, creating matrilineal bonds spanning generations. Dominant males secure priority access to females during breeding seasons. Mothers teach essential foraging skills and social behaviours determining offspring survival prospects.
Geographic Range
Once ranging broadly between the Doce and Jequitinhonha rivers across Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia, crested capuchins now survive primarily in forest fragments. Climate projections predict significant habitat deterioration by 2070. Their extent of occurrence spans greater than 119,000 square kilometres, yet actual occupancy remains unknown as habitat fragments into smaller islands.
Threats
Cattle ranching, timber, palm oil and soy deforestation
Palm oil plantations strip away multilayered canopy, replacing complex ecosystems with sterile monocultures. Soy cultivation and cattle ranching carve geometric scars across landscapes. Roads slice through forest fragments, creating barriers preventing genetic exchange. Energy infrastructure fragments habitat further. Urban sprawl consumes forest edges with relentless appetite. Pine and eucalyptus plantations replace native forest with fast-growing exotic trees providing neither food nor shelter.
Hunting and illegal wildlife trade
Hunters target crested capuchins for bushmeat near human settlements. The illegal pet trade tears infants from mothers’ arms, condemning them to stress, loneliness, and early death. Young capuchins suffer psychological trauma often proving fatal. Local communities facing economic hardship may turn to hunting as protein sources. Law enforcement struggles to patrol vast fragmented areas.
Climate change
Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns disrupt seasonal rhythms. Prolonged droughts stress fruit trees, reducing food source abundance. Earlier or delayed fruiting seasons create mismatches between peak food availability and energy demand periods. Extreme weather events caused by climate change destroy habitat and force populations of crested capuchins into marginal areas.
Take Action!
Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop. Reject soy-fed meat and adopt a vegan lifestyle protecting wild and farmed animals. Support indigenous-led protection and agroecology. Refuse products containing palm oil and meat, which is driving Atlantic Forest deforestation. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife and go plant-based every time you shop.
FAQs
What is the current population of crested capuchins?
The total remaining population of Crested Capuchins is estimated at 14,400 individual monkeys based on census data in protected areas. Population densities range from 2.47 sightings per 10 kilometres in protected areas to 0.22 groups per 10 square kilometres in degraded habitats. Groups of capuchins typically consist of 12-15 individuals, though larger assemblages of up to 27 individuals show remarkable fluidity. The species faces ongoing population decline of at least 50% over three generations due to continuing habitat loss.
How long do crested capuchins live?
Related capuchin species typically live 15-25 years in the wild and potentially longer in captivity. Their longevity depends heavily on habitat quality, food availability, and human disturbance levels. Dominant individuals may enjoy better access to resources and greater longevity. However, ongoing deforestation and declining food availability may be reducing average lifespans of Crested Capuchins as individuals face increased stress and greater exposure to human-related mortality factors.
What are the main conservation challenges facing crested capuchins?
The primary challenge is relentless destruction of their Atlantic Forest habitat, with less than 12% of original forest remaining in small, isolated fragments. Palm oil plantations, soy cultivation for livestock feed, and cattle ranching continue converting forest into monocultures. Climate change compounds pressures by altering rainfall patterns, potentially making suitable habitat uninhabitable by 2070. Hunting for bushmeat and illegal pet trade further reduce numbers while disrupting social structures. Their restricted range makes them particularly vulnerable to local extinctions.
What are some interesting and unusual facts about crested capuchins?
Crested capuchins display remarkable intelligence through sophisticated tool use, employing eleven distinct actions including hammering, probing, and sponging. They modify tools for specific tasks and learn from watching companions. Their most distinctive feature is the brilliant scarlet conical crest adorned with a black spot. They show remarkable dietary flexibility, maintaining preferences for wild forest fruits even when exotic cultivated options become available. Their social groups can reach up to 27 individuals with remarkable fluidity, sometimes forming temporary subgroups.
Do crested capuchins make good pets?
Absolutely not. Crested capuchins suffer extreme stress, loneliness, and early death in captivity. These highly social primates have complex needs that cannot be met domestically. The illegal pet trade rips infants from mothers’ arms, causing severe trauma while removing breeding individuals from critically endangered populations. They require sophisticated social interactions, diverse natural foods, and extensive territories. Legal ownership is prohibited under Brazilian law, making possession illegal and unethical.
Further Information
Chiarello, A. G. (1999). Effects of fragmentation of the Atlantic forest on mammal communities in south-eastern Brazil. Biological Conservation, 89(1), 71-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00130-X
Fragaszy, D. M., Izar, P., Visalberghi, E., Ottoni, E. B., & de Oliveira, M. G. (2004). Wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus libidinosus) use anvils and stone pounding tools. American Journal of Primatology, 64(4), 359-366. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20085
Martins, W. P., de Melo, F. R., Kierulff, M. C. M., Mittermeier, R. A., Lynch Alfaro, J. W., & Jerusalinsky, L. (2021). Sapajus robustus (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T42697A192592444. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T42697A192592444.en
Santos, P. M., Bocchiglieri, A., & Chiarello, A. G. (2023). Impacts of climate change and habitat loss on the distribution of the endangered crested capuchin monkey (Sapajus robustus). American Journal of Primatology, 85(11), e23548. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23548
Steinberg, D. L., Lynch, J. W., & Cartmill, E. A. (2022). A robust tool kit: First report of tool use in captive crested capuchin monkeys (Sapajus robustus). American Journal of Primatology, 84(11), e23428. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23428
You can support this beautiful animal
There are no known conservation activities for this animal. Share out this post to social media and join the #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife on social media to raise awareness
Further Information
Donate to help orphaned capuchins that are rescued from traffickers. At Merazonia Wildlife Sanctuary
Martins, W.P., de Melo, F.R., Kierulff, M.C.M., Mittermeier, R.A., Lynch Alfaro, J.W. & Jerusalinsky, L. 2021. Sapajus robustus (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T42697A192592444. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T42697A192592444.en. Downloaded on 06 June 2021.
Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus
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The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
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Pledge your support#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #bushmeat #capuchin #Capuchins #climateChange #climatechange #CrestedCapuchinSapajusRobustus #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #hunting #illegalPetTrade #insectivore #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #monkey #monkeys #palmoil #petTrade #pettrade #Primate #primates #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #vegan
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How forest loss has changed biodiversity across the globe over the last 150 years
The Earth’s forests have been changing ever since the first tree took root. For 360 million years, trees have grown and been felled through a dynamic mix of hurricanes, #fires and natural regeneration. But with the dawn of the 17th century, humans began replacing large swathes of forest with farms and cities. The global pace of #deforestation has slowed in the 21st century, but #forests are still disappearing – albeit at different rates in different parts of the world. In the tropics, forest loss is accelerating in previously pristine wilderness. Help rainforests, wild animals and indigenous peoples to survive #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
How #deforestation has changed #biodiversity 🌿🦏🦧🐘🦉 across the globe over the last 150 years. Fight back and resist #extinction every time you shop, go #Vegan 🥔🍆🫑 and #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🩸🚜💀🔥🚫⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/24/how-forest-loss-has-changed-biodiversity-across-the-globe-over-the-last-150-years/
Share to BlueSky Share to Twitter The Amazon rainforest over timeAs forest cover has fluctuated over time, the biodiversity within forests has changed too. Forests support around 80% of all species living on land, but the species we see on our woodland walks today are likely to be different from those people saw in the past. Many species, such as the Alpine longhorn beetle, survive in intact old-growth forests, while species like the red fox have managed to thrive in areas with higher human impact.
Forests around the world are changing, affecting unique biodiversity. Malkolm Boothroyd, Author providedWe wanted to know how changes in biodiversity worldwide are linked to changes in the world’s forests, but this was always difficult, as the effects of forest loss vary from one place to the next. How biodiversity shifts over time following forest loss hadn’t been explored across the globe – until now.
The Alpine longhorn beetle persists in old-growth forests across continental Europe. Gergana Daskalova, Author providedDiverse responses
In our new paper, we matched estimates of forest loss throughout history with records of the numbers and types of plants and animals monitored each year by scientists around the world.
Harnessing over five million records across 150 years at over 6,000 locations, we were surprised to find that forest loss didn’t always lead to declines in biodiversity. Instead, when forest cover declined, changes in biodiversity intensified, with increases in the abundance of some species and decreases in others. The composition of forest life – the different types of species present – was altered too. The rate at which these changes happened in each location accelerated as forest cover shrank.
Photos by Craig Jones Wildlife Photography in an RSPO certified palm oil plantation in Sumatra
The effects of forest loss were not uniform in all places. The loss of the same sized patch of forest led to biodiversity declines in one area and increases in another. Knowing the history of a particular place was important for understanding this variation. Whether or not forest loss of that magnitude had occurred at that location in the past usually determined what happened in the present. Once pristine forests saw biodiversity declines and historically disturbed forests often experienced no change or even saw increases in biodiversity.
When forests were lost in previously pristine wilderness, we found declines in the abundance of animals like swift parrots in Australia, tigers in Russia and capercaillies (a type of grouse) in Spain. These species only tend to thrive in ancient and lightly disturbed forest habitats.
The species that we discovered increasing in abundance after forest loss included white storks, Eurasian skylarks, red deer and red foxes – species which have evolved alongside disturbance and are more adaptable.
Delayed effects
Changes in biodiversity didn’t always immediately follow forest loss. We discovered that the pace at which forest loss altered biodiversity differed among short-lived species, such as light-loving plants like St John’s wort, and longer-lived species like red-tailed hawk. The longer the lifespan of a species, the longer it took for the effects of forest loss to register.
Sometimes the effects carried across generations. Red-tailed hawks may manage to raise their young alongside deforestation, but these offspring may struggle to prosper in the shrinking habitat, and ultimately fail to produce young of their own. If resources are scarce, species with longer lifetimes could persist but not reproduce for decades. That’s how the impact of forest loss on such species might only appear decades after the first wave of deforestation.
The pace at which biodiversity responds to forest loss can vary from a couple of years to several decades. Gergana Daskalova, Author providedThese delayed effects highlight how important it is to monitor plants and animals over decades. A single snapshot in time cannot detect the full extent of human impacts on biodiversity. With a longer perspective, we are better equipped to conserve Earth’s biodiversity not just now, but for decades to come.
By combining datasets from around the world, we can understand the state of the world’s forests and of the millions of plants and animals they support. Changes in the biodiversity matter because they directly affect the benefits that forests provide for people, such as clean air and a brake on climate change. With a better understanding of how forest loss influences biodiversity, we can improve future conservation and restoration efforts around the planet.
Maria Dornelas, Reader in Biology, University of St Andrews; Gergana Daskalova, PhD Candidate in Global Change Ecology, University of Edinburgh, and Isla Myers-Smith, Chancellor’s Fellow in Global Change Ecology, University of Edinburgh
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 1,390 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#AnimalBiodiversityNews #biodiversity #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #deforestation #extinction #fires #forests #ForgottenAnimals #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #meatDeforestation_ #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #rainforest #vegan