Rod Graham, age 11, of Eugene, Oregon, for his question:
What sort of animal is a uakari?
This name may be spelled uakari or ouakari. We remodeled it from a word borrowed from a South American Indian language. Originally it was intended to name certain mon¬keys that lived in the neighborhood. We use it for the same purpose, though naturally modern scientists have given it a more precise meaning. The uakari monkeys now are classified in a genus of their own in a family of genera allocated to other similar monkeys.
The uakaris are New World monkeys, with most of the usual features that set them apart from the assortment of Old World monkeys. American monkeys usually have a quota of 36 teeth, four more than their relatives of Africa, and Asia. They are smaller and some¬what prettier, usually more frisky and a few have real claws instead of monkey fingernails. Many of these native Americans have special prehensile tails used for grasping. Most of the world's 200 or so monkey species enjoy warm climates, preferably in tropical or semi¬tropical forests that provide sturdy branches for their talented acrobatic activities.
Most species of the New World are classified in the Family Cebidae, a name coined from an older word meaning long tailed monkey. The wistful looking little uakaris belong in the Cacojao genus, with three known species. But unlike most American monkeys, they have funny little stubby tails. The rabbit sized creatures have scanty hair, worn fairly long and rather shaggy. Some have very thin hair on their heads, growing with a center part or in a whorl around their little round skulls. One uakari species is bald headed. Their naked faces have prominent features and large eyes that regard the world with `a woeful expression.
The red uakari has a bright red face and head. The scanty hair on his body is chest¬nut brown and rather long. The black headed uakari, as one would expect, has a black head. Its scanty hair hangs down over his large, naked ears and seems to beg for a barber's appointment. His wistful face is black, but his body is reddish brown. The bald uakari, naturally, has a bald head. His naked face wears a permanent scarlet blush, enhanced by a red beard. The greyish white hair on his body, arms and legs is coarser than that of his kinfolk.
All the uakaris are at home in the Amazon forests, high among the sturdy boughs and dense shadowy foliage. There they frolic and squabble with troupes of their kinfolk. Like other South American monkeys, their continuous chatter includes quite a large voca¬bulary.
The uakaris share their Amazon jungles with several of their Cebidae cousins. The sakis have thick fluffy hair and long bushy tails. The night monkeys have owlish faces and big golden staring eyes. Their long fur is mottled with greys or browns and they wear three black stripes on their white foreheads. Naturally, they doze during the day. The spider, squirrel and woolly monkeys also are neighborhood relatives. Uakari cousins also include the howling monkey who does his howling in Central America, and the charming Mexican monkey known to countless admirers as the capuchin.