Squirrel monkeys are small arboreal monkeys from Central and South America.
Common squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus), Budapest Zoo.
There are many species of squirrel monkeys all in the genus Saimiri. Different species of squirrel moneys sort of look alike but there always are some differences. For example the common squirrel money (above) has the same colored fur on its head and back while the black-capped squirrel money (below) has black hair on its head.
Black-capped squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis), Szeged Zoo.
In the wild squirrel moneys live up in the trees, they are active in the daytime. Squirrel moneys are omnivorous, they eat fruits, seeds, flowers and other plant parts but they will eat insects, small animals that they can catch and kill as well as eggs.
Squirrel monkeys are social animals that live together in large groups of up to several hundred individuals.
Like most monkeys, squirrel monkeys are NOT recommended as pets. Event though captive bred squirrel monkeys are available in some places, it is highly unlikely that you could provide them with anything that resembles their natural environment, which would be a huge rain forest. Some people try to treat a squirrel monkey as if it was a human child, but this is unnatural for a monkey. People must realize that they are not doing any good to the animal by forcing it to live with humans.
Further Readings:
Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri) – A-Z Animals.
Squirrel monkey on Wikipedia.
Common squirrel monkey on Wikipedia.
Black-capped squirrel monkey on Wikipedia.