Are there monkeys in Rio de Janeiro? Capuchins, toucans, turtles

The short answer to are there monkeys in Rio de Janeiro is yes, and the botanical garden is a reliable place in the city to meet them. The garden's own animal page names the black capuchin, Sapajus nigritus, an Atlantic Forest species that visitors especially like to see.¹ It adds that capuchins are the only primates that adapted and survived in the urban environment from the 8 original species of the area.⁷ That makes every sighting a small piece of local natural history.

The capuchins are doing well in the garden, but the species is not safe in general: despite being well adapted to the garden, they are considered threatened by the IUCN Red List, in the Vulnerable category.⁸ A good way to treat the animals is as residents of a protected green space, never as props for a photo. They live in the trees, move between the garden and the forest and are used to people walking past, but they remain wild and unpredictable.

Marmosets are the second primate you may meet, and they are a different story. The garden says marmosets, Callithrix jacchus and Callithrix penicillata, come originally from the Northeast and the Centre-East of Brazil, and it counts them as invading species in Rio de Janeiro.² Since they are not from the region, the garden says they became highly efficient predators and contributed to the decrease in biodiversity and the extinction of native species.⁹ Enjoy the sight, but do not treat them as the garden's natural wildlife.

The lakes are the best place to start for animals that do not fly. At the Turtle Lake, the most famous turtles are exotic species that were abandoned as pets and now live under the garden's care, and they can be seen in the sun beside the fountain every day.⁵ They are not native and they were abandoned as pets, which is why the garden's keepers look after them rather than leaving them to spread. The lake is on the map above, at the southern end of the main route.

At Frei Leandro Lake the garden reports a native turtle, the South American snake-necked turtle, which is occasionally spotted on a giant water lily or paddling in the lake.¹⁶ The garden's lakes also hold fish: the carp of the Japanese Garden, tambaquis and wolf fish at Frei Leandro Lake, with native angelfish and armored catfish among the local species.²¹ Stand quietly on a bridge or the bank and the water gives up its residents one by one.

On land, the common lizard Tropidurus torquatus likes to stay in the sun at the Karl Glasl Grotto, while the tegu, Salvator merianae, hides in denser vegetation.¹⁷ Anyone asking where to see toucans in the Rio botanical garden can pair the fruiting trees with the lakes, since every sighting loop passes both. The sloth, Bradypus variegatus, can sometimes be seen in the arboretum,²² though sloths are famously hard to spot, so scan the forks of the trees rather than the ground. Use the map pins to link each sighting to its corner of the garden.

The garden's visiting rules are clear about animals. The ban covers feeding animals, bringing them in, taking them out or mistreating them, as well as carving trees or taking any plant away.⁶ That is the rule the garden asks every visitor to follow, and it applies to the friendliest marmoset and to the smallest lizard alike. Feeding teaches animals to approach people, which is a harm to them and a risk to you.

The garden adds a safety note. Because the animals are wild, not domesticated, they may bite, scratch or sting, and visitors are asked to keep away from them.³⁸ Keep children close and explain this before you go in, because a small hand held out to a friendly face is exactly how a bite happens. Look from a distance, use a zoom lens rather than stepping nearer, and never try to touch a wild animal for a photograph, however calm it looks or however tame its neighbours seem.

A last rule concerns the weather. Strong winds sometimes damage trees, some of them very old, and then the arboretum may have to be evacuated; visitors should leave as fast as possible without running and follow the staff.⁴³ Check the forecast and plan your wildlife time for a calm morning if you can, because a sudden gust is a reason to head for the gate and not a reason to linger under the tallest trees.