Amazon Rain Forest and its Endangered species - BALD UAKARI

Amazon is the highest level of bio-diversity rainforest in the world.  It spreads across the banks of the river Amazon which is the largest river in the world in terms of its discharge of water and the second-longest river in the world after the Nile.  This Gigantic river has around 1100 tributaries.  Among these tributaries, some are more than 1000 miles in length.  It spreads about 40% of the South American Continent and is spread across countries like Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, and French Guiana.

ALT -  Spread over 40% of South America, this rainforest is home to thousands of rare plants and animals.  

This river basin is the lifeline of the entire forest in South America.  It is considered if this ecosystem is endangered; the whole planet will get affected.  This means this Amazon rainforest is protecting not only the ecology of South America but the entire world.

Wildlife in Amazon

This rainforest is home to thousands of animals and birds, of the many are a rare variety of species that can be found only in the Amazon Forest.  Till now, their life cycle was well protected by the nature but human interference has created a declining trend in this area.  Morethan 310 000 square kilometers of rainforest have been lost due to human intervention and deforestation.

Causes of decline of the rainforest and its species.

Deforestation is the major reason for the decline in forest areas.  Besides this, climate change, Illegal hunting, and contamination of the rainforest also affect the decline.  This has created many rare species hard to survive and so many of them are on the brink of extinction. 

Endangered Species in Amazon

Every year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) publishes a list of endangered plants and animals.  This list has thousands of plants and animals of Amazon and if nothing is done with urgent priority;  the species will soon extinct from this beautiful rainforest.

The most notable species in Amazon which are under this list are as follows.

• The South American Tapir

• Giant Otters

• White-Cheeked Spider Monkey

• Hyacinth Macaw

• Brumback's night monkey

• Nancy Ma’s night monkey

• Blue-throated macaw

• White-bellied spider monkey

• Guiana spider monkey

• Carabaya stubfoot Toad

• 
  

Let’s go into detail about one of the endangered animals in the Amazon rain forest which is BALD UAKARI.  This red-faced and bald-headed monkey is only found in the Amazon Rain forest particularly in the parts of Peru, Brazil, and Columbia.  They have the striking feature of a bald head and red face with long hair of reddish-brown or white.  This striking feature makes them odd from the common monkey family.  Another peculiarity about this monkey is that its tail is very short.  them.  

ALT - Bald Uakari is a small animal of the monkey family that is seen only in Amazon rain forests and are categorized as Vulnerable, may vanish from Earth if its habitat is not conserved,

 

Family Details

Common Name : Bald Uakari

Scientific Name : Cacajao Calvus

Type : Mammals

Diet      : Herbivore

Group Name : Troop

Average Life span : 15 to 20 years

Size : 14 to 22 inches.

Weight : 4.4 to 6.5 Pounds.

Their Behaviour.

This mammal lives in troops consisting of 15 members or more.  They are very acrobatic and athletic and can jump tree to tree easily.  It is very fascinating to watch them jumping from big trees to small trees, preciously holding the tree branches with stretched hands.  Though their face is red in color, some are also seen in white or pale in color mostly because of malnutrition.

They are also social animals and it’s common to see a social gathering of hundreds of Uakaris.  They are active in the day and they split themselves into troops of smaller numbers in search of food and in the night they assemble and sleep in the canopy of the rainforests.

Food Habits

Fruits and nuts are their favorite food items.  They are heavy eaters.  Their jaws are so strong that they find it not difficult to crack Brazilian nuts within a fraction of a minute.  Besides fruits, they eat leaves and insects as well.  They can find most of their food from the trees alone.  But during dry seasons, when the fruit availability is less, they search for food on the grounds as well, in search of fallen nuts or roots of trees.

Anatomy

Uakari is a small-sized animal growing only up to 45 cm.  They weigh around 3 kg.  Tail is very short compared to its body and also if we compare with other South American monkeys. It has got very long and beautiful fur which may be reddish-brown, black, or white, depending on the species.  The most distinctive feature is its hairless face and bald head.

Why this animal is becoming extinct?

Females give birth to a single baby only in two years.  Also, the young ones are very vulnerable and require their mother’s protection.  For almost four months,  they feed on their mother’s milk only.  It’s an easy catch for birds and snakes.  Also, the female ratio is low.  Being a heavy eater of fruits and nuts, these species require high-density forest.  Due to deforestation, this mammal is losing its habitat.  These are the major reason why the world is not seeing rapid growth in the population of this animal.

Also on many times, these animals become prey to wild attacks.  The highest threat is coming from the humans themselves.  It was captured for meat and domestication, distracting from their natural habitat.  Small ones are sold as pets.  It is observed that these animals do not perform well in captivity. International Union for Conservation of Nature termed this species as vulnerable, which means they are likely to become endangered soon if this species are not protected artificially or at least giving them more space for natural habitat.

Padmanabhan S dated 17 January 2022 for Erakina.