Brooklands Zoo Worlds Oldest Capuchin?

zooboy28

zooboy28

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Monkey pretty spry for an old lady.

Monkey pretty spry for an old lady | Stuff.co.nz

One more birthday cake for Crystal the capuchin could mark an occasion that might very well put her in the monkey record books.

New Zealand-born Crystal, who has lived her whole life in captivity, turned 45 at Brooklands Zoo on June 10.

"It's an unusual age. She is likely one of the oldest in Australasia," said technical officer Eve Cozzi.

She couldn't say if Crystal was the oldest in the world, but Crystal's longevity is quite an achievement as capuchins usually live between 15 and 25 years in the wild.

Taranaki Daily News checks have found a capuchin named Jocco died in Utah's Hogle Zoo in 2009. He was also 45.

News reports at the time suggested he was one of the world's oldest capuchin monkeys, but further research couldn't find anything to suggest there are older capuchins.

Ms Cozzi attributes Crystal's good health to the care she receives at Brooklands Zoo, and her streetwise instincts.

"She's a very intelligent capuchin and due to her cunningness, she avoids getting into fights and always makes sure she's got something to eat.

"She also has good genes and gets good care," she said.

To celebrate her birthday Crystal, who was born in Auckland in 1966 and moved from Hamilton to New Plymouth in 2008, was treated to a "monkey-friendly" cake, which was hidden in her cage in treasure hunt fashion.

"It keeps her active. They are very intelligent creatures and we like to encourage such activities for them so they can stimulate their brains and won't get bored," Ms Cozzi said.

Crystal is old for a capuchin, she has a way to go to outlive a black spider monkey named Buenos who died at the Japan Monkey Centre in Aichi in 2005 aged 53.

Or for that matter Cheeta, the chimp made famous in the Tarzan movies of the 1930s, who was reportedly alive in 2008 aged 76.

He outlived his human co-star Johnny Weissmuller.
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She couldn't say if Crystal was the oldest in the world, but Crystal's longevity is quite an achievement as capuchins usually live between 15 and 25 years in the wild.

Taranaki Daily News checks have found a capuchin named Jocco died in Utah's Hogle Zoo in 2009. He was also 45.

News reports at the time suggested he was one of the world's oldest capuchin monkeys, but further research couldn't find anything to suggest there are older capuchins.
Click to expand...
these can't have been very thorough checks by either the Taranaki Daily News or the Brooklands Zoo's technical officer. In just five minutes on the internet I found out that the oldest recorded capuchin was almost 55 years old (Hakeem, A., Sandoval, R. G., Jones, M. & Allman, J. 1996. "Brain and life span in primates" In: Handbook of the Psychology of Aging 4th edition (edited by J. E. Birren & K. W. Schaie), pp. 78-104. San Diego: Academic Press). That capuchin is now dead of course, so the Brooklands one could perhaps be the oldest still alive.
 
I have feeling that one of Alma Park's capuchins (or is it spider monkeys?) is claimed to be the oldest in the world. I think he is called Chico or something of that manner.
 
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