White Faced Saki (aka Pale Faced Saki)

scientific name

Pithecia pithecia

size/weight/height

Weight: Male 3.5 lbs; Female 3 lbs. " Head and body length: Male 13.8-18.7 in; Female 11.7-16.6 in. " Tail length: Male 12.3-19.9 in.; Female 10-21.3 in.

adaptations/coloration

Color: black. Coat thick, coarse, shaggy and long. Male has black muzzle surrounded by creamy-white hairs. Female has bright stripe of hair from beneath each eye to corner of mouth or chin " Nose: Nose flask-shaped with widely separated nostrils " Tail: Tail thick, bushy, non-prehensile, tapers to a point " Legs/Arms: Legs much longer than arms " Hands: Hand prehensile, thumb pseudo-opposable " Nipples located near the armpit. " Males sometimes have a large glandular area on throat extending onto chest surrounded by naked skin

behavior

Diurnal " Rarely come to ground " Prefer middle levels of forest " Sometimes descend from the canopy to the shrub layer for feeding " Move on all fours, occasionally seen to run upright on horizontal branches " Climbers, can make long downward leaps in trees " Sleep coiled on open branches like a cat. " Usually seen alone or in pairs, family group size no more than 5 " Vocalization: silent in captivity but emit loud and penetrating call in wild.

reproduction/lifespan

Lifespan: Longest longevity in zoo 35 yr. " Gestation: Gestation 163-167 days " Birth: Single young " Births late November or December " Infants cling to mother's belly, later shifting to back " Young independent after 6 months.

diet

Wild: Fruit, principally berries; also honey, leaves, flowers, small mammals and small birds " Have been seen going into hollow trees to collect bats which they tear apart and skin before eating " Zoo: fruits, monkey chow, vegetables

habitat/range

Tropical rain forest. Prefer unflooded areas. Found up to 2300 ft. " Southern and eastern Venezuela, Guianas, northeastern Brazil.

status

CITES Appendix II

note

Hunted for food " captured for pets