MAMMAL MONDAY # 10

MAMMAL MONDAY# 10

Happy Mammal Monday! We have a very special friend today. It’s our first primate! These adorable little monkeys sport a wild hairdo! Let’s get ready to meet…

MEET THE COTTON TOP TAMARIN!

Range/Habitat: Northwest South America/rainforest, forest

Diet: Omnivore: fruit, plants, insects

Length/Weight: 8-10”/14-16 oz

Conservation Status: endangered

Fun Facts:

• Cotton Top Tamarins are small New World monkeys. New World monkeys live in Central and South America.
• They live in family troops of 10-12 monkeys that are made up of a mated pair and their offspring.
• Cotton top tamarins often give birth to twins.
• Like other tamarins, cotton top dads and older siblings help raise the babies. They carry the babies on their backs.
• Cotton top tamarins are arboreal (they live in the trees).
• Their tails are very long, 13-16”.  That’s longer than its body! The tail helps them balance while they get around in the trees.
• Cotton top tamarins are very vocal and have lots of different calls, to express danger, fear, joy and playfulness.
• They use calls to warn each other of predators. There are different warning calls for predators in the air and predators on the ground.

These little monkeys are about the size of a squirrel, but have much better hairdosJ! How great is it that they dad and siblings help with the babies? We think these monkeys are super great!