Black-headed Uakari
Encyclopedia
The black-headed uakari (Cacajao melanocephalus), also known as the golden-backed black uakari, is a New World
primate
from the family Pitheciidae
. It is native to north-western Brazil
, south-eastern Colombia
and south-western Venezuela
, living in the Amazon Rainforest
, especially in the seasonally flooded forests called igapos.
They typically live in groups of 5-40 individuals, but occasionally more than 100 may come together. They mainly feed on seeds, but also take fruits, leaves, pith
and arthropod
s. It is sometimes split into two subspecies
, C. m. melanocephalus and C. m. ouakary, but recent authorties treat it as monotypic
. Traditionally, this was the only species of mainly black uakari recognized, but two additional species, the Aracá uakari and Neblina uakari
were described in 2008.
New World monkey
New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Platyrrhini parvorder and the Ceboidea superfamily, which are essentially synonymous since...
primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
from the family Pitheciidae
Pitheciidae
The Pitheciidae are one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. Formerly they were included in the family Atelidae. The family includes the titis, saki monkeys and uakaris...
. It is native to north-western Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, south-eastern Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and south-western Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, living in the Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
, especially in the seasonally flooded forests called igapos.
They typically live in groups of 5-40 individuals, but occasionally more than 100 may come together. They mainly feed on seeds, but also take fruits, leaves, pith
Pith
Pith, or medulla, is a tissue in the stems of vascular plants. Pith is composed of soft, spongy parenchyma cells, which store and transport nutrients throughout the plant. In eudicots, pith is located in the center of the stem. In monocots, it extends also into flowering stems and roots...
and arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s. It is sometimes split into two subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
, C. m. melanocephalus and C. m. ouakary, but recent authorties treat it as monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
. Traditionally, this was the only species of mainly black uakari recognized, but two additional species, the Aracá uakari and Neblina uakari
Neblina Uakari
The Neblina 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 and described together with the more easternly distributed Aracá Uakari in 2008...
were described in 2008.