Uakari

The Uakari monkey (Cacajao calvus) belongs to the genus Cacajao, family Pitheciidae. It is native to Brazil and Peru. It lives in tropical forests in the jungle in places from where they have easy access to water.
The name uakari is the gift of the natives. It means "Dutch" and has to do with no monkey. It reminds of the first visits of Europeans to South America. They had light skin and were sunburned.
The scientific name "cacajao" also comes from a tribe. Unfortunately the translation was not remembered, and the tribe and language of those natives disappeared.
It is currently threatened with extinction due to excessive hunting and habitat shrinking due to tree felling.

Feeding The Uakari Monkey

Uakari monkeys feed in groups of 10 individuals. Food consists of various fruits, leaves, roots and hazelnuts found in trees.
When the food in the trees gets worse it goes down to the ground where it looks for fruit fallen from the trees or certain roots.
Being an omnivorous animal in its diet are also small animals or insects. Having a diet based mainly on fruits has a vital role in the ecosystem by spreading the seeds in the forest.

Appearance Monkey Uakari

Uakari monkeys are 40-50cm long and weigh 3-4 kg. The body is covered almost entirely by long fur of varying color (depending on the species), from Reddish to porocalium.
The head is bald, the face is red because it is richly vascularized. Since it has no subcutaneous fat, the scalp is moulded onto the skull. The lower incisors are prominent. One characteristic of uakari monkeys is that they have almost no tail(15-18cm).
The fact that it has no facial pigments is not an advantageous thing for the Uakari monkey. Her red face is easier to spot by predators. The redder the face,the healthier the monkey.

Bald Uakaris (Cacajao calvus)

Black-headed Uakaris (Cacajao melanocephalus)
Neblina Uakaris (Cacajao hosomi)
Ayres Uakaris (Cacajao ayresi)

Behavior Monkey Uakari

In the wild there are active animals. They like living in trees. They make jumps of 6-20 meters. In caltivity they are quieter. Although it is considered one of the ugliest monkey species, some people prefer to breed them as pets.
They usually live in groups of 50-100 individuals. They are said to be social animals. Most of the time they spend jumping from one branch to another, from tree to tree using strong and agile limbs. They are rarely seen on Earth
Living in canopied trees as high as it has few predators. The most feared natural predators are birds of prey and snakes. The biggest predator is man.

Uakari Monkey Breeding

Female uakari gives birth to a single cub once every two years. Females become sexually fit at the age of three and males at the age of 6. Because of this, uakari monkey populations cannot multiply quickly.
Mating takes place in October – may. The gestation period is unknown, but is assumed to be 7-8 months.
Unfortunately Uakari monkey populations are declining because they are hunted for meat and captured by local tribes. As if that wasn't enough their environment is diminishing due to the cutting down of the trees of the Amazon forest.
Life expectancy in the Wild is 20 years.