Mammals
Black Bearded Saki
Chiropotes satanas · also called black saki
High in the canopy of the eastern Amazon, a black bearded saki bites into a hard-shelled seed that no other monkey could open, its thick beard dark against the leaves.
Overview
The black bearded saki, Chiropotes satanas, is a Critically Endangered monkey of the eastern Amazon of Brazil. Its thick beard, seed-cracking jaws, and large travelling groups make it a distinctive and highly threatened member of the saki family.
A seed predator of the canopy
Because it eats so many seeds, the black bearded saki plays a major role in the forest, and its loss would change which trees thrive.
Status
Critically Endangered, with a decreasing population.
Black Bearded Saki: common questions
Why is it called the bearded saki?
It has a thick, bushy beard, along with a black coat and a large bushy tail.
What does the black bearded saki eat?
It eats mostly the seeds of unripe fruit, which it opens with powerful jaws, along with fruit pulp, flowers, and some insects.
Why is it critically endangered?
It has lost much of its habitat to deforestation and is also hunted.
Where is the black bearded saki found?
It lives in rainforest in the eastern Amazon of Brazil.