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Squirrel Monkey

Squirrel Monkeys are some of the cutest and most curious climbers of the neotropics.

They use their tails as balancing poles, live in mini-societies with up to 500 members, and they wee on themselves to keep cool.

Wait, scratch that last one. That’s not cute.

It is true though. Due to the warm, tropical climates that Squirrel Monkeys live in, they often display a behaviour known as ‘urine washing’. This involves urinating on their hands, and then rubbing the urine on the soles of their feet. The evaporation process cools down the monkeys on particularly hot days.

I will only be accepting judgement from those of you who live in the tropics without air-conditioning or running water… Don’t knock it till you try it.

Black-Capped Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri boliviensis), Madre de Dios region, Peru