Cacajao calvus
The bald uakari is also known as the 'scarlet fever uakari and 'red uakari' as it has a very distinct red face. They are found living in the Amazon jungle.
Their name is pronounced as 'wakari'.
Their red faces are not due to pigmentation but rather the presence of many blood capillaries under the skin.
If a bald uakari shows a pale or almost white complexion this may indicate that the animal is sick. A very red face indicates that the uakari is fit and healthy.
These monkeys are a threatened species and on the verge of extinction. The main reason for the decline in their numbers is due to deforestation for the timber industry and local people hunting them for their meat.
Another contributing factor to their declining numbers is the use of their meat for fishing bait.
The uakari has a very short tail which can't be used to grip on trees but does aid in its balance.
Uakari's are the only short-tail species of the 'new world monkeys'. New world monkeys are those species of monkey that live in southern Mexico, central America and south America.
Bald uakari's have very powerful legs and can quite easily jump 15 - 20 meters (49 - 66 feet) from tree to tree.
Being a very social primate, bald uakari's are found living in troops of 10 - 30 individuals and sometimes up to 100.
Bald uakari's are very slow breeders with females only giving birth to a single baby every two years. Females are sexually mature at 3 years of age and males at 6 years.
Their main diet consists of mainly seeds, fruit, leaves and grasses but they will also feed on insects and small mammals.
