Black Bearded Saki

• Common Name: Black Bearded Saki
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1807
• Monkey Size: 32.7 to 48 cm (12.87 to 18.90 inches)
• Skin Color(s): Black
• Habitat: rainforests
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Native Countries: Brazil

The black-bearded saki^[1] is a species of bearded saki, a species of New World monkey, one of the five remaining monkeys of its kind.

• Black-bearded sakis are predominantly black in color, although some individuals have a browner coat.
• Males and females are usually distinguished by two rounded bulbs protruding from their foreheads.
• Another striking feature is its signature beards.
• The forehead and beard give them a nice rounded heart-shaped profile. They have somewhat lean bodies but are defined and covered with an even coat.
• From a distance, their conspicuous proportions and long, bushy tails make it difficult to see the head from behind.
• Black-bearded sakis possess shorter front legs than back legs and small, not fully opposable thumbs – traits perfect for running through the treetops.

• Black-bearded sakis are popularly known in Brazil as cuxiú, a term long-used by the indigenous population to describe this particular monkey species.
• This species prefers primary rainforest, where lush tree canopies provide a relatively safe area out of sight and out of reach of several predators.
• The term Chiropotes means “hand drinker“, a behavior once unique to this genus, but that’s no longer the case.
• Black-bearded saki consumes one of the highest monthly percentages of seeds of any primate.
• In the wild, young black-bearded sakis have been observed playing with howler monkeys.