Uakari

Uakari facts at a glance

How big is a uakari?

An adult uakari measures 50 cm long — about 29% of the height of an average adult person (1.73 m) — and weighs around 3.5 kg, about 5% of an average adult’s body weight (70 kg).

What is a group of uakaris called?

Explore more animal collective nouns and baby animal names .

That unmistakable red face

The bald uakari's hairless face can be vivid scarlet. The color comes from blood vessels close to the skin and reflects an individual's health; a pale face can signal illness such as malaria, so a bright red face is attractive to mates.

Life in the treetops

Uakaris are highly social, living in troops that can number dozens of animals high in the canopy. Despite a short tail unusual for a New World monkey, they are powerful climbers and impressive leapers, crossing wide gaps between trees.

Seed specialists

Uakaris have strong jaws that let them crack open hard, unripe fruits and seeds that other monkeys cannot eat, an advantage in the seasonally flooded forests where they live. They also take leaves, flowers, and the occasional insect.

A vulnerable specialist

Because uakaris depend on specific flooded forest and large home ranges, they are sensitive to habitat loss and hunting. They are listed as Vulnerable, and protecting the várzea forests of the western Amazon is central to their future.

Did you know? Uakari facts

• The uakari is a short-tailed monkey of the western Amazon, best known for the bald uakari's striking bright-red bald face.
• The bald uakari's bare face is red because of blood vessels near the skin surface. The brightness reflects the animal's health, so a strong red color is a sign of a fit mate.
• Uakaris live in the seasonally flooded rainforests of the western Amazon basin, in parts of Brazil, Peru, and neighboring countries.
• Uakaris eat mostly seeds and fruit, using powerful jaws to crack hard unripe fruits, along with leaves, flowers, and some insects.
• Bald uakaris are listed as Vulnerable, mainly due to habitat loss and hunting across their specialized flooded-forest range.
• Conservation: Vulnerable (IUCN).

Diet & feeding

Uakari feeds primarily as a omnivore (mostly seeds and fruit). Uakaris have strong jaws that let them crack open hard, unripe fruits and seeds that other monkeys cannot eat, an advantage in the seasonally flooded forests where they live. They also take leaves, flowers, and the occasional insect.

Adaptations

• The bald uakari's hairless face can be vivid scarlet. The color comes from blood vessels close to the skin and reflects an individual's health; a pale face can signal illness such as malaria, so a bright red face is attractive to mates.
• Uakaris are highly social, living in troops that can number dozens of animals high in the canopy. Despite a short tail unusual for a New World monkey, they are powerful climbers and impressive leapers, crossing wide gaps between trees.

Behaviour & ecology

• The bald uakari's hairless face can be vivid scarlet. The color comes from blood vessels close to the skin and reflects an individual's health; a pale face can signal illness such as malaria, so a bright red face is attractive to mates.
• Uakaris are highly social, living in troops that can number dozens of animals high in the canopy. Despite a short tail unusual for a New World monkey, they are powerful climbers and impressive leapers, crossing wide gaps between trees.
• Uakaris have strong jaws that let them crack open hard, unripe fruits and seeds that other monkeys cannot eat, an advantage in the seasonally flooded forests where they live. They also take leaves, flowers, and the occasional insect.

Communication

• Uakari uses scent, posture, and vocal signals to mark territory and coordinate social behaviour.
• Communication intensity often peaks during breeding seasons and territorial disputes.

Habitat & range

Flooded Amazon rainforest

Ecological role

Uakari plays a recognised ecological role in flooded amazon rainforest.

Conservation status of the Uakari

Sources & references

This guide is compiled and reviewed against established zoological and conservation references. Key sources for the Uakari:

• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

  Conservation status (Vulnerable) reflects the IUCN Red List category for Cacajao calvus.

• iNaturalist — observations & photos

  Search citizen-science observations and community IDs for Cacajao calvus. Useful for range checks and recent sightings — not a substitute for formal Red List status.

• GBIF — occurrence data

  Global Biodiversity Information Facility species search for Cacajao calvus. Explore published occurrence records used in range research.

• IUCN Red List — Cacajao calvus.

  Conservation status (Vulnerable) and population trends.

• Animal Diversity Web — Cacajao calvus. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

  Life history, morphology, and range.

• Wikipedia — Uakari.

  General taxonomy and overview (cross-check primary sources).

• Global Animal Guide editorial standards

  How we research, source, review, and update every guide for accuracy.