The white-nosed saki (Chiropotes albinasus ) is a species of bearded saki, a type of New World monkey, endemic to the south-central Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Both its scientific and common name were caused by the authors working from dead specimens, where the skin on and around the nose fades to whitish. In living individuals, it is actually bright pink (though with fine barely visible white hairs), and the pelage is black. No other species of the genus Chiropotes have a brightly coloured nose.
This species are considered to be “medium-sized”. They are a primary consumer that eats seeds, fruit, flowers, bark, insects and leaves. They are also a social species that arrange themselves into large groups for many reasons such as sleeping, food gathering and travel arrangements. These social groups are important in situations where they are under attack by a predator as they decide on their anti-predation strategies depending on the number of them available at the time. They are seasonal breeders, only reproducing in specific months during the year. In the 2020 IUCN Red List report, this species was listed as vulnerable with a decreasing population.
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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starts withThe white-nosed saki has three common physical features including a beard, two “tufts of hair” on its head, and a long “bushy” tail. Its physical characteristics make it easy to identify amongst other species of the genus Chiropotes. Their distinct features include an entirely black, “silky” fur body in contrast with their "reddish-pinkish" noses and lips. In fact, their name can be confusing because although they have 'white' hairs on their noses, the skin of their nose is a brighter mix of red and pink which makes it the more visible colour. Although both the male and female have the same physical features, the female can be distinguished to the male through their shorter and thinner hair within their tufts and beards. Two of their most important body parts include their tail and teeth. The function of their tail changes from when they are young. It is initially used for swinging across canopies, but then becomes “non-prehensile” and used only for balance as they become adults. Regarding balance, this species uses their tail to support them during suspensory behaviours, mostly with feeding. Their teeth on the other hand are described as being of a “canine” appearance and these help them break through the tougher foods they eat e.g., fruits and seeds with harder outer shells.
The distribution of this species depends on their ability to survive and adapt to drastic changes in the environment. They are known to be able to handle difficult environmental changes to the point where they can survive for a long period of time before having to move elsewhere. According to research, they are distributed mostly throughout the south-east and south-central regions of the Amazon Rainforest which extends into the country of Brazil. They are dominant in the southern region of the Amazon since they share the eastern part with the Uta Hicks bearded saki which causes problems with food availability. They have also been observed towards the south-western area of the Dos Marmelos River in Brazil.
As a primary consumer, the white-nosed saki is dependent on habitats with enough food supply. Due to their similarity in diet with other Chiropotes, it is rare to find this species in habitats where they are required to coexist and compete over food supply. They are mainly found in terra firma ecosystems within the Amazon, where their preferred food source of immature seeds is readily available. This species prefers primary terra firma forests which means it has had little, to no human disturbance. These forests are known for their “poor soils”, but this is not an issue for this species. In fact, they live within this ecosystem because of their ability to easily organise groups for foraging to find their required food source. Although their habitat preference is mainly dependent on food availability, this species also prefers to live within the shaded comfort of upper canopies which are the main characteristic of this particular habitat. These upper canopies are where they have been observed spending most of their day-to-day lives. This species has also been found living and passing through “mountain savanna forests” due to the high elevation; however, this is not as common.
The white-nosed saki is a primary consumer and a frugivore. Their general diet consists of mainly immature seeds, fruit, flowers, bark, insects, and leaves. The proportion of these food categories includes 36% seeds, 54% fruit pulp and aril, and then the final 10% is made up of bark, insects, and leaves. With fruit, they prefer it when it is unripe. With seeds, they are considered one of the more important foods in their diet since it is their “major protein source”. One study described these seeds that they consume as being elastic and highly fibrous … with high crushing resistance”. Although mainly eating fruits and plants, this species is not considered a very picky eater when it comes to these food categories as they have been found to eat a wide variety of over a hundred different plant types within the Brazilian Amazonia.
As with the case of communication, reproduction of this species is another area that is under researched. The reason for lack of research is due to the fact that observations were made during a time when they were captured, and not in their natural habitat. Regardless, the observations found that they are a seasonal breeder. The months which have been recorded as having the most births during this breeding season includes the earlier months between "February and March", and those later in the year around "August and September". The pregnancy development phase, also known as the gestation period, has been studied to occur over a period of 5 months before reaching birth. The birth of one infant has been recorded as the usual amount for a female to have over the period of a year. Once born, the mother is the one who takes on most of the parental care by providing the infant with food and bringing it along with her everywhere she goes.
Under the 2020 IUCN Red List report, there have been a few key threats listed as the contributing factors to this species vulnerable status. These include environmental changes involving deforestation and habitat destruction due to human-induced activities such as logging, agriculture, housing settlements, hunting and more. Hunting is considered one of the more direct threats as this exact species are recognised for the quality of their bushy tails which are used in the production of cleaning dusters. Considering the consistency of these threats, it has been predicted that there will be a loss of around 30% of this species within the space of 30 years. Although these threats have resulted in better international export controls, it is stated that there needs to be more management on agriculture because of its harmful effects on their habitats. Increased agricultural management is hoped to prevent the 15% habitat loss which has been projected to happen by 2048 based on current statistics around damage to the environment. Also, it has been suggested that further research needs to be conducted on this species to determine which conservation efforts would help improve the likelihood of their survival.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...