| Uakari[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Bald uakari (Cacajao calvus) | |
CITES Appendix I | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Pitheciidae |
| Subfamily: | Pitheciinae |
| Genus: | Cacajao Lesson, 1840 |
| Type species | |
| Simia melanocephalus Humboldt, 1812 | |
| Species | |
Uakari (UK:/wəˈkɑːri/,[2]US:/wɑː-/)[3] is the common name for theNew World monkeys from thegenusCacajao. Both the English and scientific names are believed to have originated from indigenous languages.[4]
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 nosubcutaneous fat, so their bald faces appear almost skull-like. Like their closest relatives thesaki monkeys, they have projecting lowerincisors. These monkeys have the most striking red facial skin of any primate. Females choose their mates based on how red the male's face is. Evidence suggests that the red facial coloration reflects the health of the primate.[5]
The four species of uakari currently recognized are all found in the north-westernAmazon basin. Thebald uakari, remarkable for its brilliant scarlet complexion,[6] is found north of theAmazon River, and south of theJapurá River in theMamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve. Theblack-headed uakari is found north of theAmazon and south of theRio Negro. TheNeblina uakari is found north of theRio Negro, west of the Rio Marauiá and east of theCasiquiare canal. TheAracá uakari is currently known only from the Rio Curuduri basin.
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 mostlyeat fruit, and unlike other Neotropical frugivores will consume a large amount of unripe fruit for which they have specialised dentition. They also eat flowers, seeds, invertebrates,buds and leaves.[7]
Uakari are found in neotropicalAmazon flooded orriparian forests, includingBrazil,Colombia,Peru andVenezuela.[7]
Aphylogeographic reconstruction found that theconcestor of living uakari dates to 1.7 million years ago, in theSolimões River, whence they spread and diversified following intermittent river rearrangements.[8]
Per theASM and theIUCN, there are eight species in this genus:[9]
In 2014 Ferrariet al. proposed an alternative taxonomy for theC. melanocephalus group which recognizes the Aracá uakari as a subspecies of the golden-backed uakari, and also recognizedCacajao ouakary as a separate species, whereas current consensus is thatC. ouakary is a junior synonym ofC. melanocephalus.[10] This revision is not universally accepted.[11]
