Monkeys of Manuel Antonio
Three monkey species live in Manuel Antonio: the small grey-crowned Central American squirrel monkey, known locally as the mono tití; the white-faced capuchin; and the mantled howler. SINAC calls the tití the national park’s emblem species, and this subspecies lives only in and around Quepos and Manuel Antonio. This guide shows how to tell the three apart, what they eat, how they live, and why you should never feed them.
Three monkeys, three very different lives
Travel Guide › Wildlife › Monkeys
- Squirrel monkey (mono tití, mono ardilla), Saimiri oerstedii citrinellus. The smallest, around 0.5 to 1.1 kg. Golden-orange back, yellowish body, white mask around the eyes and a dark muzzle. Moves in fast, chattering troops.
- White-faced capuchin (mono carablanca), Cebus imitator. Mid-sized, 2 to 4 kg. Black body with a white or cream face, throat, chest and shoulders, and a black cap. Curious and quick, with a gripping (prehensile) tail.
- Mantled howler (mono congo), Alouatta palliata. The biggest and heaviest: males 6 to 7 kg. Black, with long golden-brown hair along the flanks (the “mantle”) and a bare black face. Slow-moving, and famous for its deep, roaring calls.
Sizes are from Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan). Luck plays a part in every sighting: all three can turn up in the national park and in the forest around it, but none of them keeps a timetable.
Central American squirrel monkey (mono tití)
Scientific name: Saimiri oerstedii citrinellus, the grey-crowned Central American squirrel monkey. The Titi Conservation Alliance, a Quepos-based group, describes it as Costa Rica’s smallest primate and says this subspecies is found only in and around Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park.
Identification
A small, slender monkey with a long tail. The body fur is yellow-brown with a pale yellow belly and a golden-red back. The face has a white “mask” around the eyes and dark fur around the mouth and chin (Animal Diversity Web; Titi Conservation Alliance). Adults weigh between 500 and 1,100 g.
Habitat and behavior
Squirrel monkeys live in troops and cover a lot of ground: Animal Diversity Web cites troops traveling 2.5 to 4.2 km a day. They start foraging shortly before sunrise and keep at it until an hour or so after sunset, stopping for short rests and for rain, when they huddle together.
Diet
Mostly insects and other small invertebrates, plus fruit, flower nectar and the occasional small vertebrate. They are known to recognize the leaf “tents” some fruit bats make and pull the bats out.
Ecological role
As insect-hunters and fruit-eaters they are part of the everyday workings of the forest. The Titi Conservation Alliance also treats the tití as an indicator of the health of the Central Pacific region: when its forest is cut up by plantations, roads and development, the tití is one of the first to show it.
Conservation status
The species Saimiri oerstedii is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List (assessed 2021). The park’s management plan calls the local subspecies endemic to Costa Rica and, citing INBio, “the most threatened primate in Central America”. The Titi Conservation Alliance cites a 2006 estimate of about 1,500 animals of this subspecies and says national primate experts now put the number around 2,000, all in the Central Pacific. Since 2000, Kids Saving the Rainforest has hung rope bridges over roads so monkeys can cross without using power lines, and in 2001 the Titi Conservation Alliance set up the Naranjo River Biological Corridor to reconnect the park with forest inland.
White-faced capuchin (mono carablanca)
Scientific name: Cebus imitator. Older sources, including the park’s management plan, use Cebus capucinus; the IUCN now treats the Central American white-faced capuchin as its own species, Cebus imitator.
Identification
Black back and hindquarters, with white or cream fur on the face, throat, upper chest and forearms, and a black cap on the head. The facial skin is tan. Males weigh 3 to 4 kg and females 2 to 3 kg. The tail is prehensile, used for grip and balance (Animal Diversity Web).
Habitat and behavior
Capuchins live in groups of mixed males and females, often around 18 to 20 animals. Females usually stay in the group they were born into, while young males leave at about four years old. They are active by day, playful and famously inquisitive: they take things apart, try new foods and learn by watching the adults (Animal Diversity Web). That curiosity is exactly why a backpack left open on a beach attracts them.
Diet
A bit of everything. Typically 50 to 80% fruit, 20 to 30% animal food such as insects and other invertebrates, lizards, birds and small mammals like squirrels, and some other plant material. They eat often and will try almost anything once.
Ecological role
By eating so much fruit and moving seeds around, capuchins play an important part in seed dispersal and forest regrowth.
Conservation status
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (assessed 2021).
Capuchins and people
In Manuel Antonio, capuchins are the monkey most affected by visitors. The park’s management plan cites research since the 1990s showing that capuchins, raccoons and coatis changed their activity patterns and feeding habits because of contact with tourists. Keep bags zipped and food out of sight. Animal Diversity Web also notes that wild capuchins can carry diseases, one more reason never to touch or hand-feed them.
Mantled howler monkey (mono congo)
Scientific name: Alouatta palliata.
Identification
Large and stocky, with black fur and long yellow or brown guard hairs along the flanks that give the “mantled” howler its name. The face is bare, black and bearded, and the prehensile tail has a bare pad on its underside. Males weigh 6 to 7 kg and females 4 to 5 kg. Newborns are silver to golden brown (Animal Diversity Web).
Habitat and behavior
Howlers live in lowland and mountain rainforest, in both old and regrowing forest. The deep, roaring calls that give them their name are often the first sign a troop is nearby. If you hear what sounds like a big animal growling in the treetops, it’s almost certainly a howler.
Diet
Leaves, fruit and flowers, depending on the season. Howlers spend nearly equal time eating leaves and fruit and prefer young leaves, which have more protein and fewer bitter tannins. Flowers are more common in their diet in the dry season, fruit in the wet season.
Ecological role
Howlers disperse seeds, and their dung feeds dung beetles, which in turn bury seeds and recycle nutrients (Animal Diversity Web).
Conservation status
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (assessed 2021). The park’s management plan lists the howler among the species with reduced populations in the park.
Howlers at ECOTICA
Howler monkeys are part of daily life at ECOTICA, on our ten acres of rainforest a few minutes from the park. Many guests hear them before they see them. They are never guaranteed, and they are never fed.
Why you should never feed a monkey
SINAC’s rules for the national park prohibit feeding wild animals, and its explanation is simple: certain foods can seriously affect their health and change their behavior. Here is what that looks like in Manuel Antonio.
- Their health suffers. Monkeys’ natural diets are leaves, insects, fruit and flowers found in the forest. Human snacks are not part of it.
- Their behavior changes. The park’s management plan documents conflicts between visitors and wildlife on the Perezoso trail, on Playa Manuel Antonio and at Punta Catedral, with capuchins and howlers among the animals involved. Monkeys that link people with food start raiding bags and tables.
- It pulls them toward danger. Monkeys drawn to roads, houses and restaurants face more of the hazards that bring animals to the rescue center at Kids Saving the Rainforest, including road accidents and electrocution. KSTR has worked for years to teach people in the area about the harm of feeding monkeys.
- It’s against the rules. Food and drinks are not allowed into the park except under the exceptions set by the park administration, and food bought at the concession must be eaten in the designated area (SINAC).
At ECOTICA we ask the same of every guest. Our wildlife guide has more on responsible viewing.
What about spider monkeys?
Costa Rica has a fourth monkey, the Central American spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi), listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List (assessed 2021). It appears in the mammal list of the park’s 2013–2018 management plan, and the Titi Conservation Alliance mentions it within the wider range of the tití. But SINAC’s current park page names only three monkeys, and the Titi Conservation Alliance describes the park as home to three of Costa Rica’s four monkey species. So don’t plan on seeing a spider monkey in Manuel Antonio; the tití, the capuchin and the howler are the monkeys of this area.
How to watch monkeys well
- Keep your distance and let the troop set the pace. If monkeys come toward you on a trail, step aside and let them pass.
- Keep food sealed and bags closed. Don’t eat in front of monkeys, and never leave a bag unattended on the beach.
- Don’t touch, don’t pose. SINAC asks visitors not to touch wild animals, and Costa Rica’s #StopAnimalSelfies campaign asks travelers not to take photos that involve handling wildlife.
- No flash, no calling out and no imitating monkey calls.
- Stay on the trail. Monkeys don’t need you to follow them into the forest.
- Drive slowly on the road between Quepos and Manuel Antonio, and look up at the rope bridges: they are there because monkeys cross here.
Where visitors may encounter monkeys
None of these places comes with a promise. Monkey troops range widely and sightings depend on the day.
- Manuel Antonio National Park. SINAC lists all three species among the park’s outstanding animals. Squirrel monkeys and capuchins are often active in the morning; howlers are easiest to find by their calls. Check tickets, opening days and rules in our national park guide.
- Forest along the Quepos–Manuel Antonio road and the rope bridges over it.
- Around hotels in the forest. At ECOTICA, howler monkeys are part of daily life. See our post on seeing wildlife where you stay.
- With a guide. ECOTICA’s concierge can book a guided park walk through our wildlife and nature tours. Families can also look at our family-friendly activities.
Next: sloths, coatis and raccoons and birds.
Sources and further reading
- SINAC – Manuel Antonio National Park (official page, English)
- SINAC – Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio (página oficial: horario, tarifas, servicios, recomendaciones)
- SINAC – Plan General de Manejo, Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio 2013–2018 (PDF; species lists, habitats, visitor impacts)
- Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan) – Central American squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii)
- Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan) – White-faced capuchin (Cebus capucinus)
- Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan) – Mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata)
- Titi Conservation Alliance – The endangered titi (grey-crowned Central American squirrel monkey)
- Titi Conservation Alliance – Central Pacific region and the Naranjo River Biological Corridor
- Kids Saving the Rainforest – About KSTR (rescue, rehabilitation, wildlife bridges)
- Kids Saving the Rainforest – Wildlife Bridges program
- IUCN Red List – Saimiri oerstedii: Endangered (assessed 2021)
- IUCN Red List – Cebus imitator: Vulnerable (assessed 2021)
- IUCN Red List – Alouatta palliata: Vulnerable (assessed 2021)
- IUCN Red List – Ateles geoffroyi: Endangered (assessed 2021)
- World Animal Protection – Costa Rica urges tourists not to take wildlife selfies (13 Nov 2019)
Last reviewed: September 2026. Conservation categories come from the IUCN Red List assessment shown next to each name; categories can change when species are reassessed. Park rules and opening details belong to SINAC, so check its official page before you go.
