Burnished saki (Pithecia inusta)

Campoverde, Ucayali. Aug 20, 2023

comments (3)

Thibaud Aronson

Lion

My first saki! These shy primates are often quite hard to photograph, and this is probably one of the few photos in existence of the burnished saki, following the split of what used to be called the monk saki. This species is mainly found in Ucayali, the central Amazonian region of Peru, and adjacent Brazil.
A friend and I had spent three days doing a bird inventory in a forest concession near Pucallpa, and on the morning before we had to catch our plane back to Lima, we made a quick visit to another plot owned by the same company, where they have extensive plantations adjacent to a small patch of mature forest. This was literally the first animal we saw as we got out of the car, and to say we were surprised would be an understatement, as we were very far from the primary forest where these guys are typically encountered! Furthermore, the saki was quite relaxed and showed extremely well, allowing us to get some nice photos! This was doubly lucky in my case because when I turned on my camera that morning, I couldn't see anything, and thought the electronic visor had died! (I later figured out that it was simply the diopter wheel that been knocked out of alignment). But I basically took these photos blind, my only guide being the central focus point on my visor turning green!
All in all a very exciting encounter! Posted one year ago
1. Ferdy Christant
  
  Lion
  
  What a woolly animal for such a climate!
  
  Love the background story. There's remarkably many ways to accidentally turn a camera into a dysfunctional state. Posted one year ago
2. 1. Thibaud Aronson
    
    Lion
    
    Haha I know!
    As for the remarkably wooly fur, it seems completely crazy to me, but apparently it makes for an effective rainproof coat, plus they raise them into hackles to appear bigger when facing predators. Posted one year ago