White-faced saki

White-faced saki[1]
Male white-faced saki (Pithecia pithecia)
Female white-faced saki
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Pitheciidae
Subfamily:	Pitheciinae
Genus:	Pithecia
Species:	P. pithecia
Binomial name
Pithecia pithecia (Linnaeus, 1766)
White-faced saki range
Synonyms
Pithecia pithecia ssp. pithecia (Linnaeus, 1766) Simia pithecia (Linnaeus, 1766)

The white-faced saki (Pithecia pithecia), also known as the Guianan saki and the golden-faced saki, is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. This species lives in the understory and lower canopy of the forest, feeding mostly on fruits, but also eating nuts, seeds, and insects.

A formerly recognized subspecies of this monkey, P. p. chrysocephala,^[3] was elevated to full species status as P. chrysocephala in 2014.^[4]

Reproduction

Female (left) and male P. pithecia, illustrating sexual dimorphism in coat coloration

In captivity, female white-faced sakis experience ovarian cycles of approximately 17 days, and a gestational period of 20–21 weeks. Following birth, the mother undergoes a period of lactationally-induced infertility lasting 23 weeks, on average.^[5]

White-faced sakis display noticeable sexual dichromism in their coloration. Females have shorter hair than males, with brownish-grey fur and white or pale brown stripes around the corners of the nose and mouth. Males, on the other hand, have blacker fur, with a reddish-white forehead, face, and throat.^[6]

Behavior

A pair often mates for life. They are very devoted and will strengthen their bond by grooming one another. Male saki monkeys are usually more active than females.

References

1. Groves, C.P. (2005). "Order Primates". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. Marsh, L.K.; Mittermeier, R.A.; Veiga, L.M. (2015). "Pithecia pithecia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
3. Groves, C.P. (2005). "Pithecia pithecia chrysocephala". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
4. Marsh, L. K. (July 2014). "A Taxonomic Revision of the Saki Monkeys, Pithecia Desmarest, 1804". Neotropical Primates. 21 (1): 1–165. doi:10.1896/044.021.0101.
5. Savage, A. et al. (1995). Selected aspects of female white-faced saki (Pithecia pithecia) reproductive biology in captivity. Zoo Biology 14(5):441–452. Retrieved 8 July 2008, from Wiley InterScience Journals database. doi:10.1002/zoo.1430140506.
6. Sakis Pithecia. (23 Feb 2004). Retrieved 8 July 2008, from Mark V. Flinn, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Missouri-Columbia

External links

• Pithecia pithecia, MSW3