Buffy saki  (Pithecia albicans)

The buffy saki is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1), and listed on Appendix II of CITES (3).

The buffy saki  (Pithecia albicans) is a New World primate that moves through the forest quadrupedally, moving on all four limbs, leaping or bouncing between neighbouring trees (4) (5) (6).

Even though it was first discovered in the 1850s, the buffy saki, as with all members of the genus Pithecia, remains a poorly studied primate as it avoids human contact and is slow to habituate to human presence (7) (8). Members of the genus Pithecia have a thick muzzle, and a long, bushy tail. The hair is generally long, thick and shaggy, except for the face which is bare, or short-haired, and has black skin. The hands and feet are usually pale in colour, contrasting with the darker lower arms and legs (9).

The female buffy saki is very hard to distinguish from the male which is slightly larger and has small patches of white fur around the eyes (9). The young are born dark brown in colour, with a naked tail (6).

The buffy saki was thought to be endemic to a small area between the lower Rio Purus and Rio Tefé, south of the Rio Solimões-Amazonas in Brazil, but its range is now known to extend to the east bank of the lower Rio Juruá (1) (5) (9).

The buffy saki is a rainforest species and almost exclusively lives in the middle and upper canopy of the trees (1) (6). This species makes use of all available forest types, including terra firma forest and flooded forests (5) (10).

Being largely herbivorous, the buffy saki prefers to forage on seeds, but also feeds on fruit, flowers, nectar, tree bark and very rarely insects (4) (5). It has robust incisors and canines that are perfect for breaking through the tough outer layers of fruit to reach the seeds within (4).

The buffy saki lives in groups of between 3 to 7 individuals, with a home range of between 147 and 204 hectares which may overlap with that of neighboring groups (5). This species appears to spend much of its day resting, and when feeding the buffy saki group often splits into smaller feeding parties (5) (6).

The buffy saki appears to give birth all year round, as births have been recorded in March, June, November and December. Births do not appear to correlate with the fruiting of the trees in the region. The infant is carried on the female’s thigh, and adult colouration is attained after about three weeks, when the infant switches to riding on the back of the female. The young becomes independent after around six months of age (6).

Although studies have shown that the buffy saki can survive in logged forests, due to its ability to feed on a variety of food items, the main threats to the buffy saki are deforestation and hunting pressure, which have caused this species to decline  (1) (11).

This species is thought to occur in the Abufari Biological Reserve, and is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning trade in this species should be tightly controlled (1) (3).

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

More information on the conservation of Pithecia and other primates:

• Pitheciine Action Group (PAG) -
  http://www.pitheciineactiongroup.org/index.html