Uakari
Encyclopedia
Uakari is the common name for the New World monkey
s of the genus
Cacajao. Both the English and scientific names are believed to have originated from indigenous languages.
The uakaris are unusual among New World monkeys in that the tail length (15-18 cm) is substantially less than their head and body length (40-45 cm). Their bodies are covered with long, loose hair but their heads are bald. They have almost no subcutaneous fat
, so their bald faces appear almost skull like. Like their closest relatives the saki monkey
s, they have projecting lower incisor
s.
The four species of uakari currently recognized are all found in the north-western Amazon Basin
. The Bald Uakari
is found north of the Amazon River
, and south of the Japurá River
in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve
. The Black-headed Uakari
is found north of the Amazon
and south of the Rio Negro. The Neblina Uakari
is found north of the Rio Negro, west of the Rio Marauiá and east of the Casiquiare canal
. The Ayres Uakari
is currently known only from the Rio Curuduri basin.
Uakaris are typically lethargic and silent in zoo conditions, but in the wild they are agile and active, capable of leaps of over 6 meters. They have been observed both in small groups and in larger troops of up to 100. When traveling through the forest they move in the lower branches of the trees, though when foraging they also go up to the canopy. They eat fruit
, nut
s, bud
s and leaves.
Henry Walter Bates
, the nineteenth century zoologist, recorded that the Native Americans captured uakaris alive by using blowpipe darts or arrows tipped with diluted curare
; once captured the animals were revived by putting a pinch of salt in their mouths. Those animals that survived were kept as pet
s.
* Newly described species.
New World monkey
New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Platyrrhini parvorder and the Ceboidea superfamily, which are essentially synonymous since...
s of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Cacajao. Both the English and scientific names are believed to have originated from indigenous languages.
The uakaris are unusual among New World monkeys in that the tail length (15-18 cm) is substantially less than their head and body length (40-45 cm). Their bodies are covered with long, loose hair but their heads are bald. They have almost no subcutaneous fat
Subcutaneous tissue
The hypodermis, also called the hypoderm, subcutaneous tissue, or superficial fascia is the lowermost layer of the integumentary system in vertebrates. Types of cells that are found in the hypodermis are fibroblasts, adipose cells, and macrophages...
, so their bald faces appear almost skull like. Like their closest relatives the saki monkey
Saki monkey
Sakis, or saki monkeys, are any of several New World monkeys of the genus Pithecia. They are closely related to the bearded sakis of genus Chiropotes.-Range:...
s, they have projecting lower incisor
Incisor
Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...
s.
The four species of uakari currently recognized are all found in the north-western Amazon Basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
. The Bald Uakari
Bald Uakari
The bald uakari or bald-headed uakari is a small New World monkey with a very short tail, red face, a bald head, and long coat...
is found north of the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
, and south of the Japurá River
Japurá River
The Japurá River or Caquetá River is a river about long rising as the Caquetá River in the Andes in the Southwest of Colombia. It flows southeast into Brazil, where it is called the Japurá. The Japurá enters the Amazon River through a network of channels...
in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve
Mamirauá
The Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, near the city of Tefé, is a reserve near the village of Boca do Mamirauá. It includes mostly Amazonian flooded forest and wetlands.-Protection:...
. The Black-headed Uakari
Black-headed Uakari
The black-headed uakari , also known as the golden-backed black uakari, is a New World primate from the family Pitheciidae...
is found north of the Amazon
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
and south of the Rio Negro. The Neblina Uakari
Neblina Uakari
The Neblina uakari is a newly described species of monkey from the far northwest Brazilian Amazon and adjacent southern Venezuela. It was found by Jean-Phillipe Boubli of the University of Auckland and described together with the more easternly distributed Aracá Uakari in 2008...
is found north of the Rio Negro, west of the Rio Marauiá and east of the Casiquiare canal
Casiquiare canal
The Casiquiare river is a distributary of the upper Orinoco flowing southward into the Rio Negro, in Venezuela, South America. As such, it forms a unique natural canal between the Orinoco and Amazon river systems. It is the largest river on the planet that links two major river systems, a...
. The Ayres Uakari
Ayres Uakari
The Aracá uakari , also known as the Ayres black uakari, is a newly described species of monkey from the northwest Brazilian Amazon. It was found by Jean-Phillipe Boubli of the University of Auckland after following native Yanomamo Indians on their hunts along the Rio Araçá, a northern tributary of...
is currently known only from the Rio Curuduri basin.
Uakaris are typically lethargic and silent in zoo conditions, but in the wild they are agile and active, capable of leaps of over 6 meters. They have been observed both in small groups and in larger troops of up to 100. When traveling through the forest they move in the lower branches of the trees, though when foraging they also go up to the canopy. They eat fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, nut
Nut (fruit)
A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
s, bud
Bud
In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of the stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be specialized to develop flowers or short shoots, or may have...
s and leaves.
Henry Walter Bates
Henry Walter Bates
Henry Walter Bates FRS FLS FGS was an English naturalist and explorer who gave the first scientific account of mimicry in animals. He was most famous for his expedition to the Amazon with Alfred Russel Wallace in 1848. Wallace returned in 1852, but lost his collection in a shipwreck...
, the nineteenth century zoologist, recorded that the Native Americans captured uakaris alive by using blowpipe darts or arrows tipped with diluted curare
Curare
Curare is a common name for various arrow poisons originating from South America. The three main types of curare are:* tubocurare...
; once captured the animals were revived by putting a pinch of salt in their mouths. Those animals that survived were kept as pet
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
s.
Species
There are four species in this genus:- Genus Cacajao
- Bald UakariBald UakariThe bald uakari or bald-headed uakari is a small New World monkey with a very short tail, red face, a bald head, and long coat...
or Red Uakari, C. calvus- Cacajao calvus calvus
- Cacajao calvus ucayalii
- Cacajao calvus rubicundus
- Cacajao calvus novaesi
- Black-headed UakariBlack-headed UakariThe black-headed uakari , also known as the golden-backed black uakari, is a New World primate from the family Pitheciidae...
, Cacajao melanocephalus - Aracá Uakari, Cacajao ayresi*
- Neblina UakariNeblina UakariThe Neblina uakari is a newly described species of monkey from the far northwest Brazilian Amazon and adjacent southern Venezuela. It was found by Jean-Phillipe Boubli of the University of Auckland and described together with the more easternly distributed Aracá Uakari in 2008...
, Cacajao hosomi*
- Bald Uakari