White-nosed saki

[9] 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.

[10] 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.

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.

[8] They are mainly found in terra firma ecosystems within the Amazon, where their preferred food source of immature seeds is readily available.

[15] The white-nosed saki has three common physical features including a beard, two "tufts of hair" on its head, and a long "bushy" tail.

[17] 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.

[11] Generally, their body measurements and weight, in combination with their tails for balance and support, makes them "agile and fast-moving" and "super climbers and leapers".

[22] Predation has a big impact on the way that the white-nosed saki conducts their everyday lives when it comes to "social organisation", "foraging strategies", choosing "sleeping site[s]" and then deciding how much time is spent on each of these activities.

[26] Studies conducted in 2017 which observed many predation events across the Brazilian Amazonia discovered six common anti-predation behaviours and strategies used by this species.

The reactive ones included "mobbing, alarm calling" and "fleeing", while their crypsis behaviours involved "freezing, increasing of inter-individual distance within a group, and hiding".

[28] When it comes to hiding, in this study the species was observed in 7 out of 9 encounters dropping from their positions in the higher canopies to lower more "denser vegetation" where there are better chances for increased coverage.

[28] Taking into consideration the fact that this species relies on organising themselves into fission-fusion systems, it is normal that their anti-predation strategies change depending on how many individuals are with the group at any one time.

[27] All these behaviours have been stated as typical for any primate species since they are labelled "risk-sensitive animals" who constantly develop and change their reactions depending on the severity of threatening events.

[30] This need to constantly change their anti-predation strategies has been identified as a common action for smaller primate species considering they are usually more at danger of being attacked than those that are larger in size.

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.

These include environmental changes involving deforestation and habitat destruction due to human-induced activities such as logging, agriculture, housing settlements, hunting and more.

[2] 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.

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.

The white-nosed saki spotted in the upper canopies.
Pie chart showing the percentages of foods which make up the white-nosed saki's diet.