If you know any Spanish you know that nouns are feminine (ending in “a”) or masculine (ending in “o”). The Spanish word for “a female monkey” is “mona” so “Mona” is a great name for this female primate.
Mona is a Common Marmoset that is indigenous to Brazil. She is owned by the owners of Finca Soley who rent the property out to Isa and Milton. Marmots are small and weigh about 9 ounces. More general info here.
Mona lives in a mesh cage about 6 feet wide, 8 feet tall, and 4 feet deep She is allowed to run free around the patio (she is not supposed to go into the house but has been known to do so), roof, gutters, etc. during the day.
Mona appears to be healthy and happy at her “old” age of 12. She frequently races around in the cage, jumping from perch to perch with ease, even doing back flips. Her agility and accuracy are really amazing to watch.
She eats fruit that the caretaker provides and bugs that she finds while she is out and about.
Very territorial, once when one of the dogs chased one of the cats up a post where Mona was sitting, Mona promptly chased the cat down! It happened so fast I didn’t see it but Dan told me about it.
Mona’s voice can be pleasant or extremely high-pitched and shrill but fortunately, she doesn’t have a lot to say. You can hear her voice in the first 3 seconds of this video.
I’m up to date with all your new stuff. Love everything. It’s great to see pictures of where you are and what you are seeing. I loved the pictures of you both too–you both look great-traveling must agree with you!!! The blog is easy to use and the pictures are easy to access. Thank you for doing it. Love to you both, Pat and Bob