squirrel monkey

1 5.5

A small active monkey with a long tail and dark face that lives in Central and South American forests

noun
/ˈskwɜrəl ˈmʌŋki/

: mono ardilla

Capuchins and squirrel monkeys, they'll actually like share.

Examples

Also worked with squirrel monkeys at the outreach that I worked at after I graduated at the zoo.
As the space race intensified, the US launched squirrel monkeys and macaques.
But there's been studies of squirrel monkeys and macaque monkeys.
In the tropical forests of South America, squirrel monkeys can be seen swinging from tree to tree with their long tails.
The playful squirrel monkeys have greenish fur and are often found in large groups exploring their habitat.
Visitors to the zoo enjoyed watching the squirrel monkeys play and interact with each other in their enclosure.

Synonyms

Saimiri sciureus

vssquirrel monkey

Specialized

9.9

A small long-tailed monkey from Central and South America with green fur and a black face

is the common everyday name rather than the formal scientific label

Surface Forms

squirrel monkey singular

squirrel monkeys plural

Morphology

squirrel + monkey

The noun-noun compound 'squirrel monkey' transparently denotes a kind of monkey associated with a 'squirrel' — i.e. a small, agile monkey resembling or reminding one of a squirrel. This straightforward compositional pattern (type-of X + Y) is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows 'squirrel' and 'monkey' can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Squirrel monkey gets its name from the animal's small size and quick, squirrel-like moves. Early observers said the little monkey ran and used its long tail like a squirrel, so the name came to mean a 'small, active monkey'.