White-faced Sakis

Jun 08, 2025 Features / Columnists, Interesting Creatures in Guyana, News

…Interesting Creature

Kaieteur News – White-faced sakis (Pithecia pithecia) are primates located in Brazil, and remote parts of Venezuela. Their range also encompasses most of French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname. They live along the Cuyuni river basin, east of the Caroni River, and south of the Orinoco River.

White-faced sakis are primates located in Brazil, Venezuela, French Guiana, and Guyana

White-faced sakis are arboreal and live in both upland and lowland rainforests. Although they can inhabit very wet and very dry forests, they prefer areas with an abundance of fruit trees and watering holes. This species is most common at canopy heights of 15 to 25 m. They will also spend time foraging on the ground and at low levels in the understory foliage (3 to 15 m). Overnight sleeping areas typically are larger trees in the canopy with a wealth of foliage for cover.

White-faced sakis exhibit sexual dimorphism, with larger males, and sexual dichromatism. Males have a black coat with white fur that surrounds their face. Female sakis have a shorter, brownish grey coat with two vertical lines from their eyes to their nose. Females may also have orange brown colored fur that emerges around the chest area and continues down to their abdomen

Females sakis are the predominant caretakers. Infants stay attached to their mother’s thigh from birth to 1 month. From age one to four months, the young shift to a dorsal position where they can achieve greater mobility. The mothers carry their infants for the first 3 months. After the infant is around the age of 5 months, the mother will stop carrying it. They feed, protect, and nurture young until they are ready to be on their own. However, infants observe one birthing event prior to leaving their family group.

Reproduction

Sakis are known to be monogamous in captivity (zoo environments) although Waters (1995) indicates there have been exceptions in the wild. Anzelc (2009) suggests that monogamy in the wild is less common than expected, and is less common when groups are larger than 2 to 3 individuals. Groups of 4 to 6 are not uncommon, and can include more than one adult breeding male or female. This suggests polygamous or polyandrous mating system, depending on the breakdown of adults in the group.

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French Guiana, Interesting Creature, Pithecia pithecia, Venezuela, White-faced Sakis

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