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Central American White-faced Capuchin
Cebus imitator
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassMammalia (Mammals)
- OrderPrimates
- FamilyCebidae (Cebid Monkeys)
- GenusCebus (Gracile Capuchins)
- SpeciesCebus imitator (Central American White-faced Capuchin)
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
23 Verified sightings at Pico Bonito National Park From 2019 to 2026
4,037 In all 24 parks
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
Completed
About the Central American White-faced Capuchin
The Panamanian white-faced capuchin (Cebus imitator), also known as the Panamanian white-headed capuchin or Central American white-faced capuchin, is a medium-sized New World monkey of the family Cebidae, subfamily Cebinae. Native to the forests of Central America, the white-faced capuchin is important to rainforest ecology for its role in dispersing seeds and pollen.
The Panamanian white-faced capuchin is versatile, living in many different types of forest, and eating many different types of food, including fruit, other plant material, invertebrates, and small vertebrates. It lives in troops that can exceed 20 animals and include both males and females. It is noted for its tool use, including rubbing plants over its body in an apparent use of herbal medicine, and also using tools as weapons and for getting to food. It is a long-lived monkey, with a maximum recorded age of over 54 years.
The white-faced capuchin is a medium-sized monkey, weighing up to 3.9 kg (8 lb 10 oz). It is mostly black, with a pink face and white on much of the front part of the body, giving it its common name. It has a distinctive prehensile tail that is often carried coiled up and is used to help support the monkey when it is feeding beneath a branch.
Panamanian white-faced capuchins are highly social, living in groups of 16 individuals on average, about three quarters of which are females. Groups consists of related females, immigrant males, and offspring. On average, females birth offspring every 27 months even though they mate throughout the year. Females tend to stay within their original group while males leave their natal group when they are four years old and change groups every four years thereafter. Both male and female capuchins exhibit different dominance behaviors within the group.
In captivity, the Panamanian white-faced capuchin has been used as a companion to the organ grinder. It is an intelligent monkey and has been portrayed as a pet by American media (for example, in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series). Wikipedia →
Sounds
Recording0:21
Costa Rica · 2022
© cshure · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:35
Costa Rica · 2026
© River Ahlquist · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Recording0:23
Costa Rica · 2023
© D.J. McNeil · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recent sightings of Central American White-faced Capuchin in Pico Bonito National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 2 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wildlife World Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Parque Municipal Summit | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Guadalajara Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Joya Grande | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 5 | Chapultepec Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Jardin zoologique de la ville de Lyon | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Wamerú zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | Zoológico Thomas Belt | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | |
| 10 | Santacruz zoo | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 11 | Parque Zoológico Nacional Simón Bolívar | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | El Nispero Zoo | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 13 | Centro de Rescate Las Pumas | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | International Animal Rescue – Costa Rica | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Closest Relatives at Pico Bonito National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Central American White-faced Capuchin in Pico Bonito National Park?
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Central American White-faced Capuchin sighting in Pico Bonito National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Central American White-faced Capuchin in Pico Bonito National Park?
March
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Central American White-faced Capuchin in Pico Bonito National Park on a given day, against about 10% in May–June, August–September and December, the lowest months. That is one of Pico Bonito National Park's driest months, with about 95 mm of rain against 450 mm in November.
What time of day is best to see a Central American White-faced Capuchin?
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Central American White-faced Capuchin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Pico Bonito National Park the best place to see a Central American White-faced Capuchin?
9th of 24
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Central American White-faced Capuchin sightings, Pico Bonito National Park ranks 9th at about 50%. The best odds are in Manuel Antonio National Park (Costa Rica, about 90%), Palo Verde National Park (Costa Rica, about 80%) and Santa Rosa National Park (Costa Rica, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Where does the Central American White-faced Capuchin sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Central American White-faced Capuchin is recorded against all the mammals logged in Pico Bonito National Park (23 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
