Kaapori capuchin

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Kaapori capuchin [1]
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Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Cebidae
Genus: Cebus
Species:
C. kaapori
Binomial name
Cebus kaapori
Queiroz, 1992
Cebus kaapori distribution.svg
Geographic range in eastern Brazil

The Kaapori capuchin (Cebus kaapori), also known as the Ka'apor capuchin, is a species of frugivorous, gracile capuchin endemic to the Brazilian Amazon. Their geographical home range is relatively small and is within the most densely populated region of the Amazon. With the strong human presence nearby,C. kaapori has had to deal with very large amounts of disturbances to their habitat and is one of the most endangered of the neotropical primates.

Contents

Taxonomy

First described by Helder Queiroz in 1992, C. kaapori was considered a subspecies for a long time. [3] At the time of his discovery, Queiroz noted its similarities with the members of the C. olivaceus species. [2] After analyzing their genetic makeup, researchers Harada and Ferrari argued that the Ka'apor capuchins should be considered a subspecies of the latter. [2] However, due to various morphological and molecular evidence, the species is currently deemed a valid species in its own right. [2]

Physical characteristics

Part of the genus of gracile capuchin monkeys, the ka'apor capuchin tend to have longer limbs in comparison to their body size as opposed to members of the Sapajus genus. [4] On average, the adult male Ka'apor capuchin weighs approximately 3 kg (6.6 lb). [3] [5] They also have rounder skulls as well as differences in their teeth and jaws which renders them incapable of opening hard nuts like their robust counterparts. [4] Another notable trait is that no male gracile capuchin have tufts on their head, whereas all Sapajus do. [4]

Habitat and distribution

The Ka'apor capuchin has been described as having one of the smallest geographical ranges of any other Cebus species in the Amazon. [6] They can be found in the eastern border of the Brazilian Amazon along the Atlantic coast; more specifically in the states of Pará and Maranhão. [7] The region is known as for having the highest population density in all of the Amazon. [3] Due to the large human population living in the same area, the species tend to live in isolated patches of tall, lowland terra firme forest. [7] Included in their range, are two protected stretches of land: the Gurupi Biological Reserve and the Lago de Turucuí Environmental Protection Area. [7] Studies of the Ka'apor capuchin populations in these areas have had very varying results but the consensus seems to be that the species is quite rare, even within their known range. [3] [7] [5] In one study, researchers following a group of C. kaapori observed that their average daily travel was of approximately 2,175 m and utilized most quadrants of their home range every month. [3]

Behavior

Diet

Like most capuchins, the Kaapori capuchin is diurnal, arboreal and omnivorous. [3] While they are omnivores, C. kaapori seem to rely heavily on fruit for nutrition. One study of the species in the wild concluded that almost 75% of their diet was composed of fruit matter such as fruit pulp or the aril of immature fruit. [3] Other sources of nutrition which came up often in the study were arthropods (12.6%) and seeds (10.2%). [3] From their research, the scientists concluded that the Ka'apor capuchins' diet resembles most closely that of the Sapajus genera than their fellow Cebus species. [3] When foraging for insects, the capuchins can be observed practicing various techniques such as extracting their prey from leaves by breaking them manually, breaking branches with their teeth and hands in order to reach the ants inside and smashing snails against trees in order to crack their shells open. [3]

Social structures and mating

The species is generally found living in small groups of less than 10 individuals, sometimes even alongside bearded sakis or robust capuchins. [3] [7] [5] While there is very little known about the species' mating practices, one thing known is that the birth season is from June to July. [3] The Kaapori capuchin is polygamous, and females usually give birth to one infant per birth, with twins being rare. Births usually occur every 2 years, but they may occur closer together if a baby dies, with a gestation period of 150 – 180 days. [8]

Threats

The species is among the most threatened primates in the Amazon. [9] [7] As of 2017, the population of C. kaapori has decreased by over 80% and is categorized as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List. [7] There are many reasons as to why the species is so at risk. Some researchers believe that the species is naturally rare, and that they seem to be very sensitive to even a slight disturbance in their habitat. [3] [7] This being said, their habitat has been more than slightly disturbed; with the strong human presence nearby comes great deforestation and environmental disturbances. [3] Over 70% of the area's forest has been removed; one of the main reasons being for agricultural purposes such as soy plantations and pasture. [3] In 1978, the largest hydroelectric dam in all of Brazil, was built inside the species' home range. [3] This project had devastating repercussions on their habitat; flooding over 2,000 km2 and creating thousands of islands of between 1 and 1,000 hectares in size where land once was. [3] As one could expect, this caused heavy degradation to the surrounding forest, leaving the remaining forest fragmented. As for many other species in the Amazon, the Ka'apor capuchin has also been a victim of hunting and poaching. [7] One major concern for conservation of the species is the fact that so little standardized research has been done on the topic thus, in order to be able to protect them adequately we need to understand them more thoroughly. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cebidae</span> Family of New World monkeys

The Cebidae are one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. Extant members are the capuchin and squirrel monkeys. These species are found throughout tropical and subtropical South and Central America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-bellied capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The golden-bellied capuchin, also known as the yellow-breasted or buff-headed capuchin, is a species of New World or neotropical monkey. It lives mainly in trees and are omnivorous, eating a wide variety of both plant and animals as food. Golden-bellied capuchin normal home range is in the Atlantic forest of Brazil and it is critically endangered due to forest fragmentation and habitat loss mainly due to agriculture, there are currently efforts to protect them by the local government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capuchin monkey</span> Subfamily of New World monkeys

The capuchin monkeys are New World monkeys of the subfamily Cebinae. They are readily identified as the "organ grinder" monkey, and have been used in many movies and television shows. The range of capuchin monkeys includes some tropical forests in Central America and South America as far south as northern Argentina. In Central America, where they are called white-faced monkeys ("carablanca"), they usually occupy the wet lowland forests on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and Panama and deciduous dry forest on the Pacific coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tufted capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The tufted capuchin, also known as brown capuchin, black-capped capuchin, or pin monkey, is a New World primate from South America and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. As traditionally defined, it is one of the most widespread primates in the Neotropics, but it has recently been recommended considering the black-striped, black and golden-bellied capuchins as separate species in a new genus, thereby effectively limiting the tufted capuchin to the Amazon basin and nearby regions. However, the large-headed capuchin (S. a. macrocephalus), previously defined as a distinct species, has been reclassified as a subspecies of the tufted capuchin, expanding its range east to Peru and Ecuador and south to Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The black capuchin, also known as the black-horned capuchin, is a capuchin monkey from the Atlantic Forest in south-eastern Brazil and far north-eastern Argentina. Historically, it was included as a subspecies of the tufted capuchin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-striped capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The black-striped capuchin, also known as the bearded capuchin, is a New World monkey in the family Cebidae. They can be found in northern and central Brazil. These capuchins mostly live in dry forests, and savannah landscapes between the Rio Araguaia and the Rio Grande. Known for its tool use, the black-stiped capuchin has been shown to use tools in a wide variety of situations, ranging from using rocks for nut cracking to using sticks for digging. They were, until recently, considered a subspecies of the tufted capuchin, but because of more research and insights, they are considered their own species by many.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black bearded saki</span> Species of New World monkey

The black bearded saki is a species of New World monkey, native to the Amazon rainforest of South America, specifically to an area of north-eastern Brazil. It is one of five species of bearded saki. Bearded sakis are medium-sized (50 cm), mostly frugivorous primates, specialised in seed predation. The genus name Chiropotes means "hand-drinker" as they have been observed using their hands as ladles for scooping water into their mouths. This behavior is thought to be a way of maintaining and protecting their characteristic beards. The black bearded saki's habitat has undergone heavy habitat fragmentation, making the future conservation status of the species uncertain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large-headed capuchin</span> Subspecies of New World monkey

The large-headed capuchin is a subspecies of the tufted capuchin monkey from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It was formerly thought to be its own species, but studies have found it to be a subspecies of the tufted capuchin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blond capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The blond capuchin is a species of capuchin monkey endemic to northeastern Brazil. This endangered species was rediscovered in 2006. It can live in exceptionally large groups of over 150 individuals, and like other capuchin species, exhibits a complex and high level of sociality. It is threatened by loss of habitat due to agriculture, primarily sugarcane fields. In many cases this has caused sugarcane to make up a large portion of their diet, which would otherwise consist of mostly fruit and small animals. The blond capuchin is known to inhabit both the Atlantic forest and Caatinga biomes, although the habitation of the Caatinga may be a recent choice caused by human encroachment into its former habitats. Like other primate species, the blond capuchin is also threatened by poaching and capture for the illegal pet trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robust capuchin monkey</span> Genus of mammals belonging to the capuchin and squirrel monkey family of primates

Robust capuchin monkeys are capuchin monkeys in the genus Sapajus. Formerly, all capuchin monkeys were placed in the genus Cebus. Sapajus was erected in 2012 by Jessica Lynch Alfaro et al. to differentiate the robust (tufted) capuchin monkeys from the gracile capuchin monkeys, which remain in Cebus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gracile capuchin monkey</span> Genus of mammals belonging to the capuchin and squirrel monkey family of primates

Gracile capuchin monkeys are capuchin monkeys in the genus Cebus. At one time all capuchin monkeys were included within the genus Cebus. In 2011, Jessica Lynch Alfaro et al. proposed splitting the genus between the robust capuchin monkeys, such as the tufted capuchin, and the gracile capuchins. The gracile capuchins retain the genus name Cebus, while the robust species have been transferred to Sapajus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-faced capuchin</span> Common name for several monkey species

White-faced capuchin, or white headed capuchin, can refer to either of two species of gracile capuchin monkey:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The crested capuchin or robust tufted capuchin is a species of robust capuchin monkey. It is endemic to Brazil. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the black capuchin but is now considered by some to be a separate species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azaras's capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

Azaras's capuchin or hooded capuchin is a species of robust capuchin. It occurs in eastern Paraguay, southeastern Bolivia, northern Argentina, and Brazil, at Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso states, in Pantanal. Its habitat consists of subtropical, humid, semi-deciduous, gallery forests and forested regions of the Pantanals. Formerly, it was considered a subspecies of black-striped capuchin, according to Groves (2005) with the name Cebus libidinosus paraguayanus, but Silva Jr. (2001) considered it a separated species. They are considered as frugivores-insectivores which means that their diet mainly consists of a variety of fruits, seeds, arthropods, frogs, small mammals, etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colombian white-faced capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The Colombian white-faced capuchin, also known as the Colombian white-headed capuchin or Colombian white-throated capuchin, is a medium-sized New World monkey of the family Cebidae, subfamily Cebinae. It is native to the extreme eastern portion of Panama and the extreme north-western portion of South America in western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humboldt's white-fronted capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

Humboldt's white-fronted capuchin is a species of gracile capuchin monkey. It is found in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, and potentially the island of Trinidad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown weeper capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The brown weeper capuchin or Venezuelan brown capuchin is a species of gracile capuchin monkey endemic to Venezuela, although some sources also consider it to occur on Trinidad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marañón white-fronted capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The Marañón white-fronted capuchin also or known as Peruvian white-fronted capuchin or Andean white-fronted capuchin is a species of gracile capuchin monkey from the upper Amazon Basin. It had been regarded as synonymous with the shock-headed capuchin, which was then considered a subspecies of Humboldt's white-fronted capuchin, but it was classified as a separate species by Mittermeier and Rylands based on genetic studies by Boubli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shock-headed capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The shock-headed capuchin is a species of gracile capuchin monkey from Bolivia and Peru. It was previously classified as a subspecies of the Humboldt's white-fronted capuchin, but in 2013 Mittermeier and Rylands elevated it to a separate species, following genetic studies by Boubli et al. in 2012 and Lynch Alfaro et al. in 2010.

Spix's white-fronted capuchin is a species of gracile capuchin monkey. It had previously been classified as a subspecies of the Humboldt's white-fronted capuchin. Following genetic studies by Boubli, et al, Mittermeier and Ryland elevated it to a full species.

References

  1. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 137. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Fialho, M.S.; Jerusalinsky, L.; Moura, E.F.; Ravetta, A.L.; Laroque, P.O.; de Queiroz, H.L.; Boubli, J.P.; Lynch Alfaro, J.W. (2021). "Cebus kaapori". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T40019A191704766. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T40019A191704766.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 de Oliveira, S. G.; Lynch Alfaro, Jessica W.; Veiga, Liza M. (27 March 2014). "Activity budget, diet, and habitat use in the critically endangered Ka'apor capuchin monkey ( Cebus kaapori ) in Pará State, Brazil: A preliminary comparison to other capuchin monkeys: Activity Budget of Wild Cebus kaapori". American Journal of Primatology. 76 (10): 919–931. doi: 10.1002/ajp.22277 . PMID   24677294. S2CID   5531277.
  4. 1 2 3 Alfaro, Jessica W. Lynch; Silva, José De Sousa E; Rylands, Anthony B. (10 February 2012). "How Different Are Robust and Gracile Capuchin Monkeys? An Argument for the Use of Sapajus and Cebus: Sapajus and Cebus". American Journal of Primatology. 74 (4): 273–286. doi:10.1002/ajp.22007. PMID   22328205. S2CID   18840598.
  5. 1 2 3 Lopes, M.Aparecida; Ferrari, Stephen F. (1996). "Preliminary observations on the Ka'apor capuchin Cebus kaapori Queiroz 1992 from eastern Brazilian Amazonia". Biological Conservation. 76 (3): 321–324. doi: 10.1016/0006-3207(95)00095-x . ISSN   0006-3207.
  6. de Carvalho Junior, O.; Pinto, A. C. B.; Galetti, M. (June 1999). "New Observations on Cebus kaapori (Queiroz, 1992) in eastern Brazilian Amazonia". Neotropical Primates. 7: 41–43.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Buss, G.; Queiroz, H.; Melo, F. R.; Talebi, M.; Jerusalinsky, L. (2017). Cebus kaapori (Queiroz, 1992). In: Schwitzer, C.; Mittermeier, R.A.; Rylands, A. B.; Chiozza, F.; Williamson, E. A.; Macfie, E.J.; Wallis J.; Cotton, A. (eds.). Primates in Peril: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates 2016–2018. 88-90.
  8. "Animal Info - Ka'apor Capuchin Monkey". www.animalinfo.org. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  9. Lopes, M. A.; Ferrari, S. F. (1993). "Primate conservation in eastern Brazilian Amazonia" (PDF). Neotropical Primates. 1 (4): 8–9.
  10. Lynch Alfaro, J. W.; Izar, P.; Ferreira, R. G. (2014). "Capuchin Monkey Research Priorities and Urgent Issues". American Journal of Primatology. 76 (8): 705–720. doi:10.1002/ajp.22269. PMID   24668460. S2CID   14778572.