Aracá Uakari
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The Aracá uakari (''Cacajao ayresi''), also known as the Ayres black uakari, is a newly described
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes. Thus monkeys, in that sense, co ...
from the northwest
Brazilian Amazon Brazilian commonly refers to: * Brazil, a country * Brazilians, its people * Brazilian Portuguese, its dialect Brazilian may also refer to: * "The Brazilian", a 1986 instrumental music piece by Genesis * Brazilian Café, Baghdad, Iraq (1937) * Bra ...
. It was found by Jean-Phillipe Boubli of the
University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...
after following native Yanomamo Indians on their hunts along the Rio Aracá, a northern tributary of the Rio Negro. It was subsequently described in 2008 together with the more westerly distributed
Neblina uakari The Neblina uakari (''Cacajao hosomi'') or black-headed uakari, is a newly described species of monkey from the far northwest Brazilian Amazon and adjacent southern Venezuela. It was found by Jean-Phillipe Boubli of the University of Auckland an ...
. Until then, the
black-headed uakari The golden-backed uakari (''Cacajao melanocephalus'') or black-headed uakari, is a New World primate from the family Pitheciidae. It lives in the Amazon Rainforest, and is found in the countries of Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. It has black h ...
was the only species of mainly black uakari that was recognized. Stephen F. Ferrari ''et al'' proposed treating the Aracá uakari as a subspecies of the black-headed uakari rather than as a separate species. This monkey is named after Brazilian
biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...
José Márcio Ayres José Márcio Corrêa Ayres (February 21, 1954 – March 7, 2003) was a Brazilian primatologist and conservationist who founded the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve in 1996, followed by the Amanã Sustainable Development Reserve in 1 ...
, formerly a senior zoologist for the
Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a global 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization, headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, with a mission to save "wildlife and wild places across the globe". Founded in ...
. José Márcio Ayres, who died in 2003, pioneered studies in uakaris and played a fundamental role in the creation of the
Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve The Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve () in the Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas, near the city of Tefé, is a reserve near the village of Boca do Mamirauá. It includes mostly Amazon rainforest, Amazonian flooded f ...
, which is of great importance for the white uakari. Very little is known about the Aracá uakari, but based on present knowledge it has the smallest distribution of all species of uakaris (possibly as small as ) and is the only one not found in any protected area. Although few people live within its very remote distribution, it is hunted; at least seasonally. It has been suggested it should be considered
endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
, but it is currently listed as least concern by the
IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...
.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q141453 Sakis and uakaris Primates of Brazil Endemic mammals of Brazil Aracá uakari Taxa named by Izeni Pires Farias Taxa named by Tomas Hrbek Taxa named by Maria Nazareth Ferreira da Silva