capuchin monkey; Cebidae monkey
Refers broadly to monkeys of the family Cebidae, especially capuchin monkeys (genus Cebus), but also including marmosets, tamarins, and squirrel monkeys. In everyday Japanese, オマキザル most often points to capuchin monkeys.
At the zoo, a capuchin monkey was skillfully cracking nuts.
Capuchin monkeys are known for their high intelligence and tool use.
tufted capuchin; brown capuchin
Katakana spelling is standard for this animal name; usually written in kana.
Kanji spelling is rare and may not be recognized by all readers; the katakana form is strongly preferred.
The name オマキザル literally means 'tail-wrapping monkey', from 尾 (o, 'tail') + 巻く (maku, 'to wrap') + 猿 (saru, 'monkey'), referring to the prehensile tail characteristic of many New World monkeys in this group.