Pedigree of the bald uakari and native lands, description of appearance, subspecies and their signs, behavior in nature, reproduction, advice on keeping in the house. It is not a secret for anyone that millions of the most diverse living creatures exist on our large planet Earth. But many still remain unknown and mysterious to us, due to the fact that they rarely catch the eye of a person, both in open areas and in pictures of various books and on the pages of the World Wide Web.
Sometimes, while spending your leisure time at the computer, you can see such unusual animals on the Internet that you can doubt the veracity of their existence. But this is mother nature and there is nothing to be surprised at.
One of these unique specimens is the bald uakari. Seeing such a non-standard monkey, most people perceive it as not the cutest little animal. Few can say something good about her appearance, basically, at first glance, everyone wrinkles their foreheads in surprise and express their comments about such a not very attractive appearance.
But is that right? Beauty is a purely personal and individual concept, and for each person there are traits and qualities that serve to assess the degree of beauty. Maybe this unique monkey is not a standard of beauty and superiority, but we can say with firm certainty that it has its own zest, thanks to which it is impossible to take your eyes off this little animal, you just have to notice it.
This feature of the primate is its eyes. It is they who give this interesting creature a very unusual image, or, to be more precise, not the organ of vision itself, but a look so lively, deep and piercing that it fascinates many, and all those ugly facial features are simply lost, erased and forgotten.
There are people who often have uakari as a pet. It is impossible to say for sure what prompts them to do this. Perhaps their extraordinary appearance, or maybe the fact that behind this not quite attractive shell are hidden kilometers of loyalty and devotion with big sad eyes and it is simply impossible to find a friend or comrade better than a friend. After all, when it comes to friends, then no one should care about the appearance and the degree of strangeness of your friend, the main thing is that you feel good and comfortable with him.
Of course, such a representative of the world fauna as the bald uakari is not as easy to acquire as everyone's favorite cats, dogs and hamsters, but still real. So, you should get to know him better, perhaps you will see in him someone you have missed all your life.
Generic affiliation of the bald uakari
The bald uakari (lat. Cacajao calvus) is one of the many representatives of mammalian primates that belong to the infraorder, broad-nosed monkeys or monkeys of the New World. The origin of their pedigree, these animals take from the large friendly family of saka (lat. Pitheciidae) and the genus cocoa.
Traveling around the world, you are unlikely to have the opportunity to meet these original animals just by chance. And the reason for this is not so much the small number of individuals in the wild, as their favorite habitats - these are dense forest areas with a sufficiently high humidity coefficient and very swampy zones. It is unlikely that you will have a desire to visit such corners, unless you went there with a goal: to get acquainted with this extraordinary monkey. If this is so, then the coordinates of their natural places of residence are more detailed - this is the northwest of the Amazon lowland in South America, as well as the western part of Brazil, the eastern part of Peru and southern Colombia.
The main characteristics of the external appearance of a bald uakari
These dreary-eyed animals are the largest representatives of the saka family and medium-sized monkeys. Growth indicators of this primate range from 52 to 58 cm, the length of the caudal process is often equal to one third of the body height and averages 13–20 cm. The body weight of this animal is approximately 2.5–3.5 kg.
The entire surface of the monkey's body (the only exception is the face) is wrapped in a thick ball of relatively long and shaggy fur. The color of their fur varies greatly depending on the subspecies of the animal and can be represented in different tones. This is an often present light shade of gray color; the animal is also often painted in yellowish, reddish and brown tones. sometimes even with a reddish tint.
The calling card and distinctive feature of this primate is its unforgettable face, which, if seen once, will never be confused with anyone. The first feature of the uakari's face is the almost complete absence of hair on the face, sometimes some individuals may grow sparse hairs in the projection of the forehead, throat and chin.
In its shape, the face is flat and wide enough, the nostrils of the animal are clearly visible on it, which are located quite widely from each other and large brown eyes, they stand out brightly against the background of the entire "face". Looking into the eyes of this little animal, one gets the impression that he is suffering greatly, they are so sad and sad.
The second special feature of this original mammal is the color of its "face". It can be presented in a variety of red options, from bright red with orange tint to more intense. It should be noted that the color of the "face" is not only a special feature of the interesting exterior of the animal, but it is it that serves as an indicator of sexual maturity, mood and health of the animal itself as a whole.
The redder the face of this monkey, the better its state of health, and the saturation of the hue can also increase when the animal experiences some strong emotions. But in the event that the animal has a pale pink "face" - this is a signal of any troubles or illnesses. They are often affected by Plasmodium malaria.
The teeth of these representatives of the New World monkeys are also not quite ordinary. In total, there are 36 of them in the oral cavity, but each group differs in its shape and size. For example, the incisors are most adapted to the food of red-faced primates and are slightly elongated, thin, and prominently protruding. The canines are large and wide, but the chewing row is represented by smaller elements.
Description of the subspecies of the bald uakari and their characteristic features
To date, after long-term research, only four monkeys belong to the small genus Uakari, which differ only in their native lands and the color of the coat.
- Cacajao calvus calvus - this monkey is one of the most famous and common. He revered the northwestern part of hot Brazil as his Fatherland. Her thick and shaggy fur, nature dyed in light shades of orange.
- Cacajao calvus ucayalii - this species is most common in Peru and in the territories adjacent to Brazil. The color of its surface is presented in orange-red and lemon-yellow tones.
- Cacajao calvus rubicundus - these monkeys live mainly in the areas where Colombia borders Brazil. They differ from their relatives in a bright red color of fur, sometimes even with a brown tint.
- Cacajao calvus novaesi - a native of Brazil. Mother Nature painted her woolen cover in yellow-orange colors, the peculiarity is that in the projection of the shoulders, the main tone is transformed into lighter shades.
Features of the behavior of a monkey in open nature
Although these primates do not differ in particularly attractive external data, they are endowed by nature with an open character and a playful disposition. These highly social animals do not tolerate loneliness, so they tend to live in large groups, which can consist of 40 to 100 individuals. These groups are formed by males, females and their babies. We can say that red-faced monkeys live under the motto: "Together is not only more fun, but also much safer!"
The period of their activity falls on the daytime, when it comes time to gather in search of food, the animals are divided into smaller companies and set off on a journey. Usually the process of obtaining food from them takes place in a funny and playful way.
Bald uakari spend most of their free time in the trees, where they can simply hang on branches or joyfully jump and frolic. They rarely descend to the ground, mainly only during a prolonged drought or in order to collect fallen fruits or dropped food. They move on four knots. If you observe this creature during his meal, you can also notice something not quite familiar and ordinary. They dine, hanging on branches, catching them with their hind limbs.
With the onset of dusk, these amazing representatives of the monkey world return to their lands, and again unite in their large groups. For them, the evening is the time for hygiene procedures, and in this they help each other. Sitting side by side, the primates begin to carefully comb the fur of their fellows, choosing from it a variety of debris, shreds of wool, insects and dead skin. It is important that this departure is mutual.
Bald uakari - animals are not only very friendly with each other, but also very sociable and loud. They use a very wide range of sounds to communicate with each other. Among them, it seems possible to single out a certain babble, whistle, meow or roar. By the way, according to these signals, one can not only recognize the location of a kind of monkey, but also understand in what state of mind it is now.
These broad-nosed monkeys feed on various fruits with hard shells, fruits and unripe seeds. Sometimes they can afford to devour a few flowers, leaves and some insects, but living creatures serve as their food only when there is no opportunity to feed themselves with plant food or when they themselves go, they come across them on the way. But in no case will they deliberately look for caterpillars or other living creatures so that they can feast on them. By their nature, bald uakari are especially generous, so they are happy to share their prey with their roommates. These tricky monkeys are very fond of the seasons of torrential rains, because then nature feeds them, the water knocks various goodies from the trees and they fall to the ground. And the animals don't have to work. All they need to do is get out of their hiding places and go down to the ground, where they can start collecting the fallen treats.
The source of water for these interesting creatures is juicy fruits in the period after the rain, they can also find water in the gorges of trees. Dew drops are also licked off the leaves.
Continuation of the genus bald uakari
It is generally accepted that the favorable period for the procreation of the cocoa genus begins in late spring and lasts until mid-autumn, although this does not have accurate supporting data. Pregnancy in the female lasts about six months, at the end of this period only one uakari cub is born. Although the female can enter into the mating process more than once and with different partners.
A newborn baby differs from an adult not only in age and size, but also in that his hairline covers absolutely the entire surface of the body, including the "face". His coat has a nondescript dull color, represented by gray. At first, these cubs travel through the trees, saddling their mother, and after a while they already begin to take the first steps into an independent adult life. Uakari babies spend almost all the time playing with each other, thanks to these entertainments, babies quickly learn the skills that they will then need in getting food and in protecting themselves and their relatives.
With each month and year, the fur on the "face" begins to roll out, and it acquires the usual red shades. With each change in the color of the face, the monkey becomes more mature. At the moment when it is painted in a rich red color, the animal can be safely called sexually mature. Usually in females this phenomenon occurs at the age of three, while males are still three years behind.
Difficulties in keeping a bald uakari and conservation status
Even such a cautious and very strong animal is not at all sweet in the wild, because they can also be trapped in danger threatening their lives.
As for the animals that these primates should have carefully avoided, then they do not need to be afraid of wild cats, snakes and merciless birds of prey. But there is one more, the most dangerous and bloodthirsty enemy for cute mammals - this is a man. No matter how scary or strange it may sound, it is absolutely true. Locals often hunt bald uakari for their meat, many argue that it tastes like a human, but there is no cannibalism. The heads of the animals, after the necessary processing, are sold to tourists.
Also, people often catch cubs of red-faced monkeys for keeping at home, everything would be fine if they did not kill the mother of the baby, for an already known purpose. But this situation is not everywhere, in some areas these living beings are highly respected and revered as the spirits of the forest. There is a legend among the local population, according to which a person who eats the meat of this respected animal will receive punishment from above: he will certainly have a child with the same cute "face".
In nature, they live under the status of "vulnerable" animals.
Caring for bald uakari at home
Since these animals are used to living in large communities, keeping them alone is not very welcome, so it is better to bring at least a couple into the house.
- Personal square meters. As an apartment for monkeys, you can build a fairly spacious aviary on the territory. Its size should allow its owner to do personal business: run, jump and frolic. It is good to equip his home with various branches or ropes, you can simply plant a small tree on which the monkey will climb, this will not let her miss home and will maintain the desired physical shape. It should also be noted that the house of the bald uakari must have a heating system, because the animal is completely unaccustomed to winter frosts. You can put something soft on the floor, and it will be more comfortable and easier for you to clean.
- Hygiene. General cleaning should be carried out as the enclosure becomes dirty, but it is better to change the flooring and remove food debris daily.
- Nutrition. Your pupil's menu should be close to his tastes in the natural environment. Therefore, fruits, various nuts, leaves are perfect, sometimes you can pamper it with insects. Also, sometimes you can feed the animals with vitamin complexes to strengthen the health of your red-faced companion.
Purchase and price of a monkey
The bald uakari is not a very popular pet and for this reason cannot be bought at the pet store around the corner. But if you still had the opportunity to acquire this animal, make sure that the animal was not snatched from its house by killing its mother.
Learn more about the bald uakari in this video:
