Uakaris
SPECIES: Cacajao spp.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Male Ht. 43.5-48.5 cm Wt. 4.1 kg Female Ht. 36.5-44.5cm Wt. 3.5 kg Coat: Entirely white to chestnut-red, black Skin: Pink or black
Brain size: 74.3cm3 Locomotion: Has no tail (a stump), four grasping limbs, and is capable of moving quadrupedally, through leaping, and pronograde clambering Longevity: 23 years
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: South America, flooded swamp forests, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru
ECOLOGY: Habitat: Rainforest in the trees, only on ground to forage Home Range: 3000 ha Day Range: 6 sq. km Population density: 0.4-0.6 sq. km
DIET: Fruits, nuts, plants, insects, and grubs Techniques used to get food: They stay in fruit trees, eat mainly fruit and leaves, and have powerful jaws for nuts
SOCIAL ORGANIZATION: Group size: 7-50, composed of multiple adult and subadult males in addition to females Mating system: Females mate with dominant male and with subdominant Male/female transfer: Unknown Male/female dominance hierarchies: Male in charge Kinship: Familial groups, children leave two years after next infant Territoriality: Yes Foraging Parties: Smaller groups Aggression: Dominant males, but fairly docile
INTELLIGENCE: Very "human-like" capabilities according to caretakers.
REPRODUCTION: Birth seasonality: May-October Male/female age of sexual maturity: Male - 6 years, Female - 3 years Gestation length: 6 months Estrus swellings: None Litter size: 1 Interbirth interval: 2 years Infant birth wt. and mortality rate: Unknown
PARENTAL CARE: Unknown
TOPICS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: Diurnal, only two at Los Angeles Zoo, Jivaro Indians have been known to eat them, and they interact with other species for protection from birds.
WEB SITES:
http://www.lazoo.org/animalinfo/uakari.html
http://www.primates.com/monkeys/uakari.htm
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Hershkovitz, Philip. Living New World Monkeys. University of Chicago Press. 1977 Volume 1 Chicago.
Leonard, S. and Bennet, C. 1996. Associative Behavior of Cacajao calvus ucayalii with Other Primate Species in Amazonia Peru. Primates Vol. 37(2), 227-230.
Macdonald, David ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Facts on File Inc. New York 1984.
Napier, J.R. A Handbook of Living Primates. Academic Press. New York. 1967.