White-faced saki

Bugsy: Male, born at Cincinnati Zoo on September 10, 1995.  He arrived here on August 24, 2000.
 
Mona: Female, born at San Diego Zoo on May 3, 1990.  She arrived here on August 24, 2000.

Viewing Hints

Male and female sakis spend much of their time together, engaging in social grooming.

Where to find me in the Zoo

Rare Animal Conservation Center

Fun Facts

They have an interesting threat display in which they fluff up their hair by shaking their bodies and stomping their feet while arching their back.

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Sakis are sexually dimorphic. Males are black with white faces and females are brown.

Longevity

A typical lifespan for sakis in zoos is 17yrs. The lifespan for wild saki monkeys not known, but is likely to be shorter than in zoos.

Behavior

White-faced saki are monogomous and live in small multimale-multifemale family groups consisting of the parents and 2-3 offspring. Sakis are terrestrial, moving through the forest both quadrupedally and by leaping (sometimes long distances).

Reproduction

Young white-faced sakis are independent after 6 months. They give birth to single offspring and the infant clings to the mother for the first few weeks of life, after which the male or one of the infant's siblings may also carry it.

Size

Adult white-faced saki males measure 13.0-14.8in (330-375mm) and females measure 13.2-13.5in (335-343mm) with tails measuring 13.7-17.5in (348-445mm) for males and 13.5-17.1in (342-435mm) for females.

Weight

Adult white-faced saki males measure 34.0-88.2oz (964-2500g) and females measure 27.5-61.7oz (779-1750g).

Diet

In the wild white-faced sakis spend the majority of their day foraging for food in the lower forest canopy where they feed primarily on seeds and nuts. They will also consume a variety of fruit and insects. At the Zoo, the white-faced sakis are offered a base diet of canned primate food. The enrichment portion of the diet includes a variety of seeds and nuts, fruits and insects. The keepers offer a different assortment of approved dietary items each day and food is offered numerous times daily to promote normal feeding behaviors.

Geographic Range

Distributed throughout the northern Amazon basin, white-faced saki range in the moist lowland, submontane rainforest, and swamp forests of Brazil, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, and Venezuela.