Bearded saki  (Chiropotes satanas)

Description

With a head of thick, black hair and a dense beard framing the face (4), bearded sakis are highly distinctive monkeys. The coat is mostly black, with highlights of light yellow brown to dark brown on the back and shoulders (2). The bushy fox-like tail (a characteristic of all monkey species in the Pitheciidae family (5)), is also black, and unlike some other monkeys, it is only capable of grasping in infant bearded sakis (2). Female bearded sakis are slightly smaller than males (2), and males can also be distinguished by their bulging foreheads (6). The scientific name Chiropotes is a combination of Greek words meaning ‘hand-drinker’, referring to the manner in which bearded sakis have sometimes been observed drinking by scooping water in the hollow of their hand and bringing it to their mouth. This was once thought to be an attempt to keep their magnificent beards dry (5).

left