Common Bearded (Red-backed) Saki

Distribution and habitat

This critically endangered species is endemic to the far eastern Amazon in Brazil, it being restricted to a relatively small region from the Tocantins River in Pará east to around the Grajaú River in Maranhão (similar to the range of the equally threatened Kaapori capuchin).

Anatomy and morphology

They can be identified by their thick black hair, distinctive beard that shapes the face, and a bushy fox-like tail. They can have some yellowish brown highlights around the back and shoulders. There are some gender differences as the males tend to be slightly larger than females and also have a bulging forehead. They formerly included the red-backed, brown-backed and Uta Hick's bearded saki as subspecies or taxonomically insignificant variations (in which case the 'combined' species simply was called the bearded saki), but based on colour of pelage, karyotype, and molecular analysis it has been recommended treating these as separate species. The black bearded saki is the only dark-nosed species of bearded saki with a blackish back, though some females and young have a paler, brownish back.

Behavior

As an infant the monkeys can be seen using their tail to grasp things but lose the ability as the primate gets older. They are very social animals commonly grooming and playing with one another, even with those of other species and can be found in groups of around 30 individuals.

The black bearded saki spends a majority of its time foraging for fruits and seeds, as well as insects. They use their strong canine teeth to crack open hard shells of fruits and nuts enabling them to access the unripened young seeds in the fruits.

Bearded sakis have a gestation period of 5 months and produce one young at a time. They don't become sexually mature until 4 years old and have an expected lifespan of 18 years.

Conservation

Just over the last few decades urbanization has brought with it highways, agriculture, and dams creating an influx in habitat fragmentation, habitat destruction and hunting pressure. Habitat fragmentation is rising as secondary roads increase and people move closer to the forests. Along with an influx of people the amount of agriculture required to support the area increases, increases pressure for deforestation. They also face a hunting problem for their bushmeat and their tails used as dusters.

Habitat conservation is of top priority as this species has a particularly small range are considered the most endangered primate in the Amazon and already locally extinct in a large portion of their original range.