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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
common
marmoset |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Primates |
| FAMILY: |
Callitrichidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Callithrix
(beautiful hair/fur) jacchus (Roman god associated
with the god of wine) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
A
small monkey with large white ear tufts, alternating
dark and pale bonds on its tail. |
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| SIZE: |
210
mm (8.5 in); tail roughly twice as long as body |
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| WEIGHT: |
|
| MALE |
256
grams average |
| FEMALE |
236
grams average |
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| DIET: |
Gum
(15% of total diet), fruit, animal prey |
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| GESTATION: |
Approximately
148 days |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
|
| MALE |
16
months |
| FEMALE |
12
months |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Average
approximately 17 years |
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| RANGE: |
New
World/South America |
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| HABITAT: |
Plantations,
scrub; home range needs at least 50 gum trees |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Appendix
II |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
"Marmoset"
is derived from the French "marmouset"
which means, loosely, shrimp or dwarf. An apt name,
considering they are the smallest of the true monkeys
(the lightest of the true monkeys is the pygmy marmoset). |
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| 2. |
These
monkeys use their specialized claws to establish
a firm grip on tree trunks and gnaw little holes
in the bark with their lower incisors and canines.
This causes the tree to produce more sap, which
is used to seal injuries to the bark. This tree
sap is a valuable source of carbohydrates and minerals. |
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| 3. |
Common
marmoset is considered the best species able to
adapt to human changes in their environment. |
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| 4. |
The
species was first introduced by humans in southeastern
Brazil where it has propagated so successfully it
is regularly observed in the marginal park districts
of Rio de Janeiro. |
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| 5. |
Marmosets
live in mixed sex groups of up to 13 individuals.
Only the head male and female will produce offspring.
The mechanism that supposedly suppresses reproduction
in lower-ranking females is still being studied. |
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| 6. |
The
differences between monkeys and apes are easy to
see once you know what to look for. Apes do not
have a tail and are generally larger than most other
primates. They have a more upright body posture
as well. Apes rely more on vision than on smell
and have a short broad nose rather than a snout,
as Old World monkeys do. |
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| 7. |
Old
World monkeys are generally from Africa and Asia
while New World monkeys are from the Americas. In
Old World monkeys, the nostrils face downward and
are narrow. New World monkeys have round nostrils
facing to the side. Old World primates are usually
larger than New World's. Many of the Old World monkeys
are partly terrestrial. |
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Callitrichids
are not hunted for food, nor do they compete with
local populations for food. Their preservation
is primarily dependant upon the continued existence
of uninterrupted forest habitat.
Since
they breed well in captivity, marmosets are often
used in medical and biological research labs.
Such practices put pressure on their populations.
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|
|
| Anderson,
Sydney. 1982. Simon and Schuster's Guide to Mammals.
Simon and Schuster, New York. |
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| Kleiman,
Devra G. 1978. Biology and Conservation of the
Callitrichidae. Smithsonian Institute, Washington,
DC. |
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|
Parker,
Sybil P. (ed.). Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals.
Vol. II. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing
Co., 1990.
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| Preston-Mafham,
Rod and Ken. 1999. Primates of the World.
Sterling Pub., New York. |
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| Rowe,
Noel. 1996. The Pictorial Guide to the Living
Primates. Pogonios Press, NY. |
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| www.primate.wisc.edu/pin |
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