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Status: Critically endangered. Diet in wild: Insects, fruit, nectar, plant resins, reptiles and amphibians. Life span in wild: 12-14 years. Weight: 11 to 16 ounces, just under one pound. Native habitat: Colombia, South America.
Black Pine Animal Sanctuary 1426 W. 300 N. P.O. Box 02 Albion, IN 46701 (260) 636-7383
©2010 Professional Animal Retirement Center, Inc.
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Cotton-top Tamarins Cotton-top tamarins are one of three Amazonian species of tamarin. They are found only in a small area of northwest Colombia in South America.
"Fiat" (female, pictured
at left) and "U2" (male) lived in a research laboratory at the
University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI until 2008. Black Pine was
happy to provide the pair a permanent home to live out their remaining
lives when the behavioral research program they were a part of came to an
end. The tamarin's role in the ecosystem is an important one. They ingest and void larger plant seeds than much larger primates living in the forest. These seeds have a high rate of success to repopulate plant growth. The cotton-top tamarins are a joy to observe. They use more than 35 distinct sounds or combinations of sounds to communicate. Their faces are very expressive, and they glide easily through the trees, though they do not have opposable thumbs or a prehensile tail. Their fingernails are like claws, helping them grip as they climb and jump. To learn more about keeping these animals as pets, click here. |
The Animals
These
critically endangered, tiny primates are a "new world monkey".
There are an estimated 300 to 1,000 left living in the wild. About
1,800 live in captivity, with about 64% of those living in research
laboratories.