Squirrel monkey (Saimiri spp.) research and resources.

The first reports of the use of squirrel monkeys in research were published about 65 yr ago (Kliiver 1933). The early work of Kliiver at the University of Chicago provided the first description of housing methods and experimental use of squirrel monkeys. In 1947, the first births in captivity were reported (Kliiver and Brunschwig 1947); and 2 yr later, the National Heart Institute awarded the first grant to establish a breeding colony of squirrel monkeys to the Anatomy Department of the Louisiana State University School of Medicine (Goss et al. 1968). During the next 10 yr, Goss and coworkers learned that squirrel monkeys adapted well to laboratory conditions and were easy to handle; however, their reproduction was poor. Of 41 term pregnancies, 22 resulted in living births (with five subsequent deaths) and 17 were stillbirths or abortions. The National Heart Institute's support for this breeding colony was subsequently ended.