Description
Body length: 36 -
57 cm (14 - 22 inches); Weight: 2.3 - 3.5 kg (5 - 7.7 lb) Upperparts
bright orange, crown of head whitish yellow; face and crown naked;
bulging muscles giving head square appearance in males. Large
bulging canines under lips. Long coarse hair forms cape over
shoulders; non-prehensile tail hairy, short and stumpy.
Range
South America;
central Amazon Basin of Colombia, Brazil, Peru. Poorly known
range.
Habitat
Arboreal;
found in primary forest, in terra firme and
seasonally or permanently flooded forest. Prefer palm swamps and
forest near streams. Move seasonally to follow fruiting, but also
feed extensively on unripe fruits. Live in middle and upper canopy,
may descend to ground to feed on seeds and seedlings.
Niche
Diurnal; live in
groups of 10 - 120 individuals; may split into smaller groups to
forage. Eat fruits, seeds, leaves, nectar, and insects, particularly
caterpillars. Use canines to crack hard seeds and fruit husks. Very
active monkeys, move farther daily than most New World monkeys.
Range may exceed 150 km2. Sleep on highest branches of
large trees.
Life History
Give
birth to a single young, carried by mother.
Status
CITES Appendix
I; IUCN Red List. Endangered to vulnerable. Hunted for meat in Peru,
for bait in Brazil, where they are not eaten because their faces
look very human. Extinct in much of former range in Peru because of
hunting and habitat disturbance from logging; especially vulnerable
because of its requirement for primary forest as habitat.
The Reserva
Comunal Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo is the only protected area in Peru
inhabited by red uakari. | 
