Sapajus nigritus

The black horned monkey is named for the two distinct tufts of black fur on the top of its head. The fur on the back of the body is a mixture of black and dark brown, with a lighter color on the belly. There is white fur around the cheeks and black fur on the sides of the face. The black horned monkey, like all monkeys, has a prehensile tail that it can use to grab branches and limbs and use to move throughout the forest. The average weight is 2.0-3.3 kg. The head and body length is about 32-55 cm, and the tail length is 35-50 cm. The male's head and body are larger compared to the female, so the male's body length tends to be around 45-55 cm. The fur color of the juvenile is not different from that of the adult, except for the increase in size and weight; the fur will remain the same color.

Distribution: Brazil (Espirito Santo, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina, Paraná) to Argentina (Misiones).
Found in the Atlantic rainforests of southeastern South America, living as far north as 15 degrees south latitude and as far south as 30 degrees south latitude. These geographical ranges correspond to the southern part of Brazil in the north and the northern part of Argentina in the south. The east-west border extends as far as the east coast (45 degrees west longitude) to 60 degrees west longitude.
Inhabits tropical rainforests of South America. Lives in forests at altitudes from 300 to 1000 meters. It mainly inhabits lowland, submontane and mountain tropical and subtropical forests and gallery forests along the Atlantic coast of Brazil. The species is tolerant of environmental changes and disturbances, also occurring in secondary forests and exploiting pine and eucalyptus plantations, and also inhabits environments close to corn, ban

Black-horned Capuchin (scientific name: Sapajus nigritus) is called Black-horned Capuchin, Black Capuchin, Black-capped capuchin in English, Sajou, Sapajou in French, Capuchino, Mono-capuchino in Spanish, and Schwarzer Kapuzineraffe in German. It has two subspecies.

The black-capped cebus was originally named "Cebus nigritus" or "Cebus apella nigritus", although this has changed, but these sources of information can prove that the naming of the black-capped cebus indicates that the species was once part of the genus "Cebus" of the capuchin monkey genus, and was once a subspecies of the black-capped cebus.

The home range of the black-horned monkey is influenced by food availability and mates, with an average area of 80 hectares to 150 hectares.

The black-horned monkey tends to travel and move in groups, gathering in small groups of 5-25 (average = 15). They swing and climb from tree to tree and move throughout the habitat. Once young males reach sexual maturity at around 8 years old, they will leave their original group to find a mate. But the female members of the group remain the same, while different male members will come and go. Each monkey group has a male king who provides protection for his group. Because the home ranges overlap by an average of 35%, different groups have been observed foraging close to each other. The male king will try to scare off and confront another group or enemy with screams, throwing rocks, and even fighting. The king monkey is not only a warrior, but also the leader of the pack. It is up to him to decide where to forage, who can join their group, and who eats first. Social grooming is something that keeps equality between groups; this cleans, heals, and bonds the species. In general, the black horned capuchin is a very naughty species and the worst opponent.

The black horned capuchin has a distinct personality and they have a variety of facial expressions for communication. They are able to groom themselves and help others, strengthening the bond between the two animals. For example, a mother will groom her children, which is also a way of nurturing. When foraging, this species will scream, whistle, and bark to communicate with its pack. The black horned capuchin is color blind, but this allows them to overcome the difficulty of finding camouflaged insects and other defense strategies used by prey, such as mimicry. Males will smear their fur with urine, which is a signal to females that the male is ready to mate. Female capuchins will show interest when they are ready to mate. The male will then begin to scream to show dominance and claim his mate.

The black-horned monkey is an omnivore, with a diet that mainly consists of fruits such as berries, seeds, and even leaves. The species has the ability to use tools and hands to peel fruits and obtain protected nuts in shells. When fruits and nuts are unavailable, it will also eat young frogs or birds, insects, and even eggs of birds and amphibians. Their diet consists of about 50%-75% fruits and nuts, 25%-35% animals, and 7% other plants and shrubs. Foraging is an all-day activity, taking up 70% of the day, from sunrise to dusk. From cracking nuts to calling for help, attracting other monkeys and even other predators such as jaguars and eagles. Because of this, this species will forage for food in groups called tribes for protection, while also searching through trees, raiding nests, and turning over rocks to find potential food.

Females mate with the king as a sense of power and survival. The monkeys are polygamous, with females reproducing every two years. The mating system is completely initiated by the females, but determined by the males. Once the female finds her target, she will follow the male for a few days. The female will show interest through facial expressions such as long smiles and eyebrow movements, trying to get the king's attention. The female will then begin to make physical contact with the king, touching the king with a poke or touch, and then suddenly running away to lure the king to chase her. The female will usually purr at the king for several hours to show her interest. After a few days, when the king notices that the female is in estrus, he will follow the estrus female and begin mating. The king will mate with many different females throughout his life to ensure the survival of his offspring.

The horned monkey can mate all year round, but usually the most concentrated from early December to late April of the following year. The female's pregnancy period lasts an average of 150 days, and usually only one offspring is produced per litter. Females will wait at least 2 years before reproducing again. When the offspring of the horned monkey are born, the mother will take care of them completely until they are independent. Newborn monkeys weigh an average of 1.15 kg and usually stop growing in the third year. Females reach maturity and independence at about 4 years old, and males at about 8 years old. The mother of the horned monkey will raise the baby monkeys, while the father protects the territory and finds food. The female monkey will hold the newborn to her chest for the first year after the newborn is born to protect and raise it. After about a year, the female monkey will move the infant to her back, and the infant will be firmly fixed on the mother's back. When the infant monkey matures at 4-8 years old, it will leave its mother and become independent. In captivity, the average lifespan of a capuchin monkey is 40-50 years. In the wild, the average lifespan is about 30 years.

In 2001, Di Bitett recorded a population density of 16 individuals per square kilometer in Argentina's Iguazú National Park. In Brazil, the population density was recorded as 3.5 individuals per square kilometer in São Paulo; 24.5 individuals per square kilometer in 2004 and 5.6 individuals per square kilometer in 2005; 7.71 individuals per square kilometer in Minas Gerais in 2012; 29 individuals per square kilometer in Matados Godoy Park in 2001; 54 individuals per square kilometer and 94 individuals per square kilometer in Ibiporã in 2005; 66 individuals per square kilometer in Vila Rica do Espírito Santo Park in 2004; 51 individuals per square kilometer on the coast near the Paraná River in Paraná State in 2011 and 0.35 individuals per square kilometer in Parque Estadual do Turvo in Rio Grande do Sul State in 2007. As of 2015, it is unknown how many individuals remain in the total population of this taxon, or whether the number of mature individuals of this taxon exceeds 10,000 individuals.

Listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2015 ver3.1 - Near Threatened (NT).

Listed in Appendix I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2019 edition Appendix II.

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