Sakis, or saki monkeys, are any of several

New World monkey New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Ceboidea ...

s of the genus ''Pithecia''. They are closely related to the

bearded saki The bearded sakis, or cuxiús are five or six species of New World monkeys, classified in the genus ''Chiropotes''. They live in the eastern and central Amazon in South America, ranging through southern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana ...

s of genus ''Chiropotes''.

Range

Sakis' range includes northern and central

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, extending from the south of

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, over

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, in northern

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. and into the central part of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Body functionality

Sakis are small-sized monkeys with long, bushy tails. Their furry, rough skin is black, grey or reddish-brown in color depending upon the species. The faces of some species are naked, but their head is hooded with fur. Their bodies are adapted to life in the trees, with strong hind legs allowing them to make far jumps. Sakis reach a length of 30 to 50 cm, with a tail just as long, and weigh up to 2 kg.

Habitat and habit

Sakis are diurnal animals. They live in the trees of the

rain forests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...

and only occasionally go onto the land. They mostly move on all fours, sometimes running in an upright position on the hind legs over the branches, and sometimes jumping long distances. For sleeping they roll themselves cat-like in the branches. They are generally very shy, cautious animals. Sakis allow adult offspring and non-related immigrants into their groups unlike

titi The titis, or titi monkeys, are New World monkeys of the subfamily Callicebinae, which contains three extant genera: ''Cheracebus'', ''Callicebus'', and ''Plecturocebus.'' This subfamily also contains the extinct genera ''Miocallicebus, Homuncul ...

owl monkeys Night monkeys, also known as owl monkeys or douroucoulis (), are nocturnal New World monkeys of the genus ''Aotus'', the only member of the family Aotidae (). The genus comprises eleven species which are found across Panama and much of South Ame ...

. Saki monkeys have been commonly considered to be

socially monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a form of dyadic relationship in which an individual has only one partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time (serial monogamy) — as compared to the various forms of non-monogamy (e.g., polyga ...

, but generally only sakis who are pair-living exhibit social monogamy. Females primarily carry infants and male-infant interactions are rare.

Diet

Sakis are

frugivore A frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts and seeds. Approximately 20% of mammalian herbivores eat fruit. Frugivores are highly dependent on the abundance an ...

s. Their diet consists of over 90% fruit and is supplemented by a small proportion of leaves, flowers, and insects. Sakis, as well as

uakari Uakari (, ) is the common name for the New World monkeys of the genus ''Cacajao''. Both the English and scientific names are believed to have originated from indigenous languages. The uakaris are unusual among New World monkeys in that the tail ...

s, engage in a specialized form of frugivory in which they focus specifically on unripe fruits and seeds.

Procreation

Mating is non-seasonal, and can happen any time during the year. After approximately 150- to 180-day gestation, females bear single young. The young are weaned after 4 months, and are fully mature in 3 years. Their life expectancy is up to 30 years.

Classification

* Genus ''Pithecia'' ** Equatorial saki, ''Pithecia aequatorialis'' **

White-footed saki The white-footed saki, buffy saki or white saki (''Pithecia albicans'') is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, endemic to western Brazil south of the Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors ...

or buffy saki, ''Pithecia albicans'' **

Cazuza's saki Cazuza's saki (''Pithecia cazuzai'') is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey. It is endemic to northwestern Brazil. Taxonomy Populations in this species were formerly classified within the Rio Tapajós saki (''P. irrorata''), b ...

, ''Pithecia cazuzai'' **

Golden-faced saki The golden-faced saki (''Pithecia chrysocephala'') is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey. It is found in Brazil north of the Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Ama ...

, ''Pithecia chrysocephala'' **

Hairy saki The hairy saki (''Pithecia hirsuta'') is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey. It is found in northern Peru, southern Colombia, and a small portion of northwestern Brazil. Taxonomy It was described in 1823 by Johann Baptist von ...

, ''Pithecia hirsuta'' ** Burnished saki, ''Pithecia inusta'' ** Rio Tapajós saki or Gray's bald-faced saki, ''Pithecia irrorata'' ** Isabel's saki, ''Pithecia isabela'' **

Monk saki The monk saki (''Pithecia monachus'') also known as Geoffroy's monk saki, is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, from South America. It is found in forested areas of northwestern Brazil and northeastern Peru. Taxonomy The ha ...

, ''Pithecia monachus'' **

Miller's saki Miller's saki (''Pithecia milleri''), also known as Miller's monk saki, is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey. Its range includes parts of southwestern Colombia, northeastern Ecuador, and perhaps adjacent areas in Peru. This spe ...

, ''Pithecia milleri'' **

Mittermeier's Tapajós saki Mittermeier's Tapajós saki (''Pithecia mittermeieri'') is a disputed species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey. It is endemic to west-central Brazil. Taxonomy Populations in this species were formerly classified within the Rio Tapaj� ...

, ''Pithecia mittermeieri'' (disputed) ** Napo saki, ''Pithecia napensis'' ** Pissinatti’s saki, ''Pithecia pissinattii'' (disputed) **

White-faced saki The white-faced saki (''Pithecia pithecia''), called the Guianan saki and the golden-faced saki, is a species of the New World saki monkey. They can be found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. This species lives in the und ...

, ''Pithecia pithecia'' ** Rylands' bald-faced saki, ''Pithecia rylandsi'' (disputed) ** Vanzolini's bald-faced saki, ''Pithecia vanzolinii''

References

External links

Primate Info Net ''Pithecia'' Factsheets
{{Taxonbar, from=Q841159 Primates of South America Mammals described in 1804