|
Description
Body length: 36 - 57 cm (14 -
22 inches); Weight: 2.3 - 3.5 kg
(5 - 7.7 lb) Upperparts bright
orange, crown of head whitish
yellow; face and crown naked;
bulging muscles giving head square
appearance in males. Large bulging
canines under lips. Long coarse
hair forms cape over shoulders;
non-prehensile tail hairy, short
and stumpy.
Range
South America; central Amazon
Basin of Colombia, Brazil, Peru.
Poorly known range.
Habitat
Arboreal; found in primary forest,
in terra firme and
seasonally or permanently flooded
forest. Prefer palm swamps and
forest near streams. Move
seasonally to follow fruiting, but
also feed extensively on unripe
fruits. Live in middle and upper
canopy, may descend to ground to
feed on seeds and seedlings.
Niche
Diurnal; live in groups of 10 -
120 individuals; may split into
smaller groups to forage. Eat
fruits, seeds, leaves, nectar, and
insects, particularly
caterpillars. Use canines to crack
hard seeds and fruit husks. Very
active monkeys, move farther daily
than most New World monkeys. Range
may exceed 150 km2.
Sleep on highest branches of large
trees.
Life
History
Give birth to a single young,
carried by mother.
Status
CITES Appendix I; IUCN Red List.
Endangered to vulnerable. Hunted
for meat in Peru, for bait in
Brazil, where they are not eaten
because their faces look very
human. Extinct in much of former
range in Peru because of hunting
and habitat disturbance from
logging; especially vulnerable
because of its requirement for
primary forest as habitat.
The
Reserva Comunal Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo
is the only protected area in Peru
inhabited by red uakari.
|
