Marmosets are too small to be regularly hunted,
thus many often occur near human habitations and
often are found in and around fruiting trees. They feed
on berries, buds, fruits such as bananas, and various
arthropods. Some have the odd habit of “sap- sucking,”
which involves gnawing holes into a favorite tree trunk
and drinking the oozing sap. Their lower incisors are
long, an aid in chewing holes to harvest sap
There are 15 species of tamarins in the genus
Saguinus and four in the genus Leontopithecus. As a
group tamarins are fairly similar in general appearance
to marmosets. They have long tails, shaggy fur, often
with striking coloration patterns, and their small faces
are accentuated by topknots, moustaches, or ruffs.
Like marmosets, tamarins search mostly for insects
and other arthropods, as well as fruits, but they do not
drill holes in search of sap. Tamarins are essentially
confined to South America, though one species,
Geoffroy’s Tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi; plate 16- 22),
ranges into Central America as far north as southern
Costa Rica. The most widely distributed species are the
Midas Tamarin (S. midas) of northeastern Amazonia
and the Saddleback Tamarin (S. fuscicollis), found in
western Amazonia. Other species have much narrower
ranges. Goeldi’s Monkey (Callimico goeldii; plate 16-
23) is a unique, tamarin- like monkey found in terra
firme forests east of the Andes from Colombia to
Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru.Twenty- two marmoset and tamarin species are listed
by IUCN as currently declining and some of these
have declined to the point where they are considered
endangered. The Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus
rosalia; plate 1- 26) arguably the most beautiful of the
group, is the most endangered of any Neotropical
monkey, considered to be in extreme danger of
extinction. Found in southeastern Brazil, the species
has lost over 90% of its habitat, and its total population
is estimated at about 1,000 individuals.
Tamarins and marmosets are unusual among primates
for their flexible breeding systems. In some ways they
seem to exhibit the reverse of the normal primate
pattern. A single female tamarin may mate with several
males (polyandry), without creating aggression among
the males. Tamarin groups normally consist of four to
six adults, typically two or more females and several
males. Females are aggressive toward one another, and
one female does all of the breeding in the group. Several
males mate with the alpha female, and males devote
much energy, more so than females, to parental care.Rodents: Agouti, Paca, and Others
Rodents, in the order Rodentia, are distinct among
mammals in having a large pair of continuously
growing, chisel- like incisors, with which they gnaw all
manner of food. There are approximately 2,000 rodentPlate 16- 22. Geoffroy’s Tamarin. Photo by Nancy Norman. Plate 16- 23. Goeldi’s Monkey is listed by CITES (Convention for
International Trade in Endangered Species) as endangered.
Photo by Andrew Whittaker.chapter 16 from monkeys to tarantulas: endless eccentricities 329