Sakia monkeys
| Sakia monkeys | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-8.jpg)
Satan monkey ( Chiropotes satanas ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pitheciidae | ||||||||||||
| Mivart , 1865 |
The sakia monkeys (Pitheciidae), also known as tail and short-tailed monkeys , are a primate family from the group of the New World monkeys . These small to medium-sized primates live in northern and central South America . The family can be divided into two subfamilies: the Callicebinae comprise the jumper monkeys , and the Pitheciinae consist of the Sakis , Bartsakis and Uakaris . Overall, the sakia monkeys include over 50 living species, plus the extinct Antilles monkeys .
features
Sakia monkeys reach a head body length of 23 to 57 centimeters, the tail is short in the Uakaris (less than half the body length), in the other representatives it is almost as long as the body. The weight is 0.5 to 3.5 kilograms, with the jumper monkeys with a maximum of 1.5 kilograms being significantly smaller than the Pitheciinae, which are always heavier than 1.5 kilograms. The fur is dense, sometimes even shaggy, its coloration varies depending on the species from black to gray and brown to white. Parts of the face can be hairless. The tail, which is not used for gripping but for balance, is also hairy and bushy throughout.
The tooth formula is I 2- C 1- P 3- M 3, so you have a total of 36 teeth. In the Pitheciinae, the teeth are specialized in adapting to hard food: the incisors are large and protruding, the canines are massive. In contrast, the molars are small and low-crowned.
distribution and habitat
Sakia monkeys are only found in South America . Most of the species are limited to the Amazon basin from southern Colombia to Bolivia and central Brazil . Only a few species of jumper monkeys inhabit the coastal forests in southeastern Brazil. Their habitat are forests, although they can be found in various forest types - from lower-lying tropical rainforests to mountainous and dry forests.
Way of life
Sakia monkeys are diurnal tree dwellers. They are good climbers and spend most of their lives in the trees. They move on all fours and, depending on the species, also jump to varying degrees.
They live together in groups, the composition and size of which can vary. Jumper monkeys and probably also sakis often form monogamous family groups in which the partners often stay together for life. Bartsakis and Uakaris live in larger groups of up to 50 animals, which often split up into smaller subgroups while foraging and come together again to sleep (fission fusion organization).
They communicate with a series of sounds, characteristic are the high-pitched screams and the almost bird-like twittering. The morning duets, in which both partners mark their territory at the same time, are characteristic of the jumping monkeys.
food
Sakia monkeys are generally omnivores, but they mainly eat plants. In the spring monkeys, fruits are the main component of their diet, supplemented by leaves and other parts of the plant. The Pitheciinae prefer to eat hard-skinned fruits and seeds, and to a lesser extent other parts of the plant. Insects and other small animals and sometimes small vertebrates make up a small proportion of the food in all sakia monkeys.
Reproduction
Sakia monkeys usually only give birth to one young, the gestation period is around five to six months. In the case of the jumping monkeys, the father assumes the main responsibility for the young, he carries it and only gives it to the mother to suckle - a behavior that is also shown in other New World monkeys ( night and marmoset ), but not in the other sakia monkeys . After several months the young is weaned, after a few years it is sexually mature. In human care, these animals can live to be 25 to 35 years old; life expectancy in the wild is mostly unknown.
Danger
The deforestation of the rainforests and thus the destruction of their habitat have led to the fact that some species have become rare, and hunting also plays a smaller role. As with other animals, the species with a small distribution area or a special habitat preference are often endangered; the inhabitants of the now largely cleared south-east Brazilian coastal forests are particularly threatened.
Systematics
The sakia monkeys are counted among the New World monkeys (Platyrrhini). They are the basic sister group of all other New World monkeys. There are six recent genera in two subfamilies with over 50 species.
- Subfamily Spring monkeys (Callicebinae), they are the smallest and most primitive representatives, which also clearly set themselves apart from other sakia monkeys in their teeth.
- Subfamily Pitheciinae
The Antilles monkeys (Xenotrichini) are a group of extinct primates, whose representatives may have survived into the second millennium and which may also have to be assigned to the sakia monkeys.
literature
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hazel Byrne, Anthony B. Rylands, Jeferson C. Carneiro, Jessica W. Lynch Alfaro, Fabricio Bertuol, Maria NF da Silva, Mariluce Messias, Colin P. Groves , Russell A. Mittermeier , Izeni Farias, Tomas Hrbek, Horacio Schneider, Iracilda Sampaio and Jean P. Boubli: Phylogenetic relationships of the New World titi monkeys (Callicebus): first appraisal of taxonomy based on molecular evidence . Frontiers in Zoology, 201613: 10, DOI: 10.1186 / s12983-016-0142-4
