Proximate causes of the red face of the bald uakari monkey (Cacajao calvus)
Mayor Aparicio, Pedro Ginés (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
Mamani, Javier (Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. Facultad de Veterinaria)
Montes Aliaga, Daniel (YAVACUS, Yavarí Conservación y Uso Sostenible (Iquitos, Perú))
González-Crespo, Carlos (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge)
Sebastián, M. A. (SAMAI (Iquitos, Perú))
Bowler, Mark (San Diego Zoo Global (Estats Units d'Amèrica))

Date:	2015
Abstract:	In social species, such as primates, facial appearances transmit a variety of social signals. Although it is suggested that the intense red colour of the face of the bald uakari monkey might be an indicator of health, this hypothesis still has not been verified. This study describes the histological structure of the skin of the face in the bald uakari, compared with other non-red neotropical primates, to better understand the maintenance of its colour. The facial skin of the bald uakari monkey is characterized by a thinner epidermis, absence of melanin pigments and a high density of vascular capillaries that spread below the epidermis. These vascular capillaries are larger and more tortuous than in other neotropical primates. The skin of the face of the bald uakari monkey allows a direct external assessment of haematological status, suggesting that the colour of the face would be an honest indicator of health, but could also signal sexual or behavioural states.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Uakari ; Cacajao calvus ; Face ; Coloration ; Health indicator
Published in:	Royal Society Open Science, Vol. 2 (july 2015) , ISSN 2054-5703

DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150145
PMID: 26587272

7 p, 705.9 KB

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