Marmosets and Tamarins

There are two marmosets and one tamarin that do not belong to the more common genera. The tamarin and one marmoset are in separate genera. The second marmoset is in a separate family.

The golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia roaslia) has long, dark, golden-orange hair. It is in a separate genus from the other tamarins primarily because of its skull shape and its long, narrow hands and feet. Because the hair on its head appears to be cleanly combed back, this tamarin has also been called the Liszt monkey, after the composer who wore his thick hair swept back. The golden lion tamarin has considerably longer arms and a shorter gestation period than other tamarins. It has a head-and-body length of about 11 in (27.5 cm) long, plus a tail more than twice as long.

The golden lion tamarin neared extinction as its low-altitude rain forest in Brazil along the Atlantic Ocean was cut down. Also, it was for many decades popular as a pet. In 1980, the wild population was estimated as fewer than 100 animals. However, it has been bred in captivity and is being returned to the wild in Poço d'Anta Biological Reserve, which was established to protect this rare species. Its future depends on whether the owners of remaining forest near Rio de Janeiro are willing to protect the habitat from deforestation by urban development. Most of the details of the biology and habitat needs of marmosets and tamarins have been learned from intense studies of the endangered golden lion tamarin.

Two other subspecies of L. rosalia are the golden-rumped, or black lion tamarin (L. r. chrysopygus) and the golden-headed, or gold-and-black lion tamarin (L. r. chrysomelas). Each has an extremely tiny range and is critically endangered. These subspecies are also being bred in captivity.

The pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea) is the smallest New World primate. It is only 5 in (13 cm) in head and body plus an 8 in (20 cm) tail, which is banded in shades of black and tan. Its hands and feet may have an orange hue. It feeds on the sap of trees, which it obtains by gouging the bark with its sharp lower canine teeth. It roams a range of not much more than an acre, which must supply a comfortable sleeping tree plus several trees suitable for tapping for sap. The father takes care of the young except when they need to be nursed by the mother. The twins ride on his back until they are grown. The pygmy marmoset is relatively adaptable and can survive low-density selective harvesting of trees from its forest habitat.

Related to the tamarins and marmosets is a separate family containing only Goeldi's marmoset (Callimico goeldii). It is black with long hair, and has a white tip to its full tail. It lives in open, second-growth forest. It has 36 teeth like the New World monkeys (Cebidae), instead of 32 like the marmosets and tamarins. It also has a considerably longer gestation period of 150-165 days and gives birth to only one young at a time, instead of twins. The mother cares for the newborn for about two weeks, and then the father takes over. The Goeldi's marmoset is rare, and lives only near several small rivers in the Amazon basin. It is protected in Manú National Park in Peru.