Two groups of white-faced skis live in Apenheul. Both groups walk loose among the visitors. One group has a stay along the gorilla island. The other group lives in the new dwarf monkey region.

In the case of white-faced akis, the name partly reveals what they look like: the males have a white face. The females have a beige colored face. The male has a black coat. In females, the coat is gray-brown. Both males and females have a very thick, waterproof coat with long hair. This coat protects them very well against the tropical rains that occur regularly in Suriname, where white-faced sakis live in the wild.

Saki's usually live in small family groups. Such a group consists of a husband and wife who live with their young. Groups with an 'extra' male or female also occur in the wild.

White-faced AKIs can make vertical jumps. That looks fantastic: with their strong legs and feet, they launch themselves into space and then land on a trunk. They can also run over branches super fast (with their arms in the air) and hang on their feet properly. White-faced akis are rather quiet, shy animals. But they can make a very powerful call when the mating season arrives or to guard their territory. Is there a danger of an intruder? Then they keep quiet and wait for the danger to pass again.

White-faced akis get their young in the wild between November and April. The young are born with the same coat color as the female. After a few weeks, the development of the sons begins and they slowly get the white/cream colored face. Especially the female takes care of the little one. The first month, the little one sits on her stomach and thighs. Then it moves to her back. After about 4 months, the young is already walking independently. But mother still takes care of her little one until she is completely independent. After six months, the young is fully grown. Females are sexually mature when they are 2 years old, in males this is one year later.

Loading full article...