Pitheciidae – Titis & sakis
The family of specialized seed-eating and fruit-husking primates
Adept at leaping, Pitheciids are small to medium-sized monkeys (1-4 kg, 2-9 pounds). They are all arboreal, diurnal, and quadruped.
They generally have broad fleshy noses. The genera exhibit disparate and discontinuous morphologies. They are more committed to eating seeds than any other primate group, and many are specialized as seed predators. Such species have tusk-like lower canines to support food-piercing action. Small to large fusion-fission groups can be observed in Pitheciids’ home ranges.
The family fossil record includes many extinct genera which date back 20 million years and suggests two phases of the family’s radiation. The skeletal anatomy in Titis is most comparable to that of the ancestral platyrrhine.
Genera in this family
They could run upright on the hind legs over the branches; such an exceptional balancing capability!