Common Name: Golden Lion Tamarin Scientific Name: Leontopithecus rosalia
ENDANGERED Golden Lion Tamarin Distribution: Restricted coastal Brazil
Habitat: Lowland Forest Height: Approx. 300mm
Marmosets and tamarins come from all over South America and are some of the World’s smallest monkeys ranging from 100 grams to 800 grams. Like all monkeys marmosets and tamarins have a tail, one of the easiest ways to tell the difference between monkeys and apes (gibbons, chimps, bonobos, orangs and gorilla). Tamarins are diurnal (awake during the day and asleep at night). During their waking hours these animals can be extremely vocal giving high pitched whistles and chirps to communicate with each other.
Weight: 600g - 700g
Golden lion tamarins are now only found in a very small coastal part of Brazil where they inhabit lowland swamp and evergreen forest. Much work has been done to conserve these little monkeys as their wild population dropped as low as 200 in the 1980’s.
Diet: Omnivorous Fruit, nectar, insects.
Their diet is made up mostly of fruit, gum, nectar and insects. They will also eat small animals like frogs if they can catch them. They live in mixed groups with all members of the group congregating in tree holes at night to sleep.