The tamarins are
squirrelSquirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
-sized
New World monkeyNew World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Platyrrhini parvorder and the Ceboidea superfamily, which are essentially synonymous since...
s from the
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Callitrichidae in the
genusIn biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Saguinus. They are closely related to the
lion tamarinThe four species of lion tamarins make up the genus Leontopithecus. They are small New World monkeys named for the mane surrounding their face. Living in the eastern rainforests of Brazil, like all other callitrichids they are arboreal. Lion tamarins weigh up to 900 grams and are about...
s in the genus Leontopithecus.
Range
Tamarins range from southern
Central AmericaCentral America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
through central
South AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, where they are found in northwestern
ColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, the
Amazon BasinThe Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
, and the Guianas.
Description
Different tamarin
speciesIn biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
vary considerably in appearance, ranging from nearly all black through mixtures of black, brown and white. Mustache-like facial hairs are typical for many species. Their body size ranges from 13 to 30 cm (plus a 25 to 44 cm long
tailThe tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
) and they
weighMass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
from 220 to 900 grams. Tamarins differ from
marmosetMarmosets are the 22 New World monkey species of the genera Callithrix, Cebuella, Callibella, and Mico. All four genera are part of the biological family Callitrichidae. The term marmoset is also used in reference to the Goeldi's Monkey, Callimico goeldii, which is closely related.Most marmosets...
s primarily in having lower
canine teethIn mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids, dogteeth, fangs, or eye teeth, are relatively long, pointed teeth...
that are clearly longer than the
incisorIncisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...
s. In
captivityAnimals that live under human care are in captivity. Captivity can be used as a generalizing term to describe the keeping of either domesticated animals or wild animals. This may include for example farms, private homes and zoos...
, tamarins can live for up to 18 years.
Behavior and reproduction
Tamarins are inhabitants of
tropical rainforestA tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
s and open forest areas. They are
diurnalDiurnality is a plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.-In animals:Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular . Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects, reptiles and birds...
and arboreal, and run and jump quickly through the trees. Tamarins live together in groups of up to 40 members consisting of one or more families. More frequently, though, groups are composed of just three to nine members.
Tamarins are
omnivoreOmnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
s, eating fruits and other plant parts as well as
spiderSpiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s,
insectInsects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, small vertebrates and
bird eggBird eggs are laid by females and incubated for a time that varies according to the species; a single young hatches from each egg. Average clutch sizes range from one to about 17...
s.
GestationGestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
is typically 140 days, and
birthBirth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring. The offspring is brought forth from the mother. The time of human birth is defined as the time at which the fetus comes out of the mother's womb into the world...
s are normally
twinA twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
s. The father primarily cares for the young, bringing them to their mother to nurse. After approximately one month the young begin to eat solid food, although they aren't fully
weanedWeaning is the process of gradually introducing a mammal infant, either human or animal, to what will be its adult diet and withdrawing the supply of its mother's milk.The process takes place only in mammals, as only mammals produce milk...
for another two to three months. They reach full maturity in their second year. Tamarins are also known to be
monogamousMonogamy /Gr. μονός+γάμος - one+marriage/ a form of marriage in which an individual has only one spouse at any one time. In current usage monogamy often refers to having one sexual partner irrespective of marriage or reproduction...
.
Classification
- Genus Saguinus
- S. midas group
- Midas Tamarin, Saguinus midas
- Black Tamarin
The black tamarin or black-handed tamarin, is a species of tamarin endemic to Brazil. It has traditionally been treated as a subspecies of the Red-handed Tamarin, but lacks the contrasting reddish-orange feet and hands of that species....
, Saguinus niger
- S. nigricollis group
- Black-mantled Tamarin
The black-mantled tamarin, Saguinus nigricollis, is a species of tamarin from the northwestern Amazon in far western Brazil, southeastern Colombia and northeastern Peru. It has often included the Graells's Tamarin as a subspecies , but differs from that species in having reddish-orange rump and...
, Saguinus nigricollis
- Spix's Black-mantled Tamarin, Saguinus nigricollis nigricollis
- Hernandez-Camacho's Black-mantled Tamarin Saguinus nigricollis hernandezi
- Graells's Tamarin
Graells's tamarin, Saguinus graellsi, is a species of tamarin from the northwestern Amazon in southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador and northeastern Peru. It has often been treated as a subspecies of the Black-mantled Tamarin, but differs from that species in having a dull olive-brown lower back,...
, Saguinus graellsi
- Brown-mantled Tamarin
The brown-mantled tamarin , also known as the saddleback tamarin or the Andean saddle-back tamarin, is a species of tamarin from South America...
or Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis
- Spix's Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis fuscicollis
- Geoffroy's Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis nigrifrons
- Illiger's Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis illigeri
- Andean Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis leucogenys
- Red-mantle Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis lagonotus
- Saguinus fuscicollis fuscus
- Avila Pires' Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis avilapiresi
- Weddell's Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis weddelli
- Cruz Lima's Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis cruzlimai
- Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis primitivus
- Mura's Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis mura
- White-mantled Tamarin
The White-mantled tamarin, Saguinus melanoleucus, is a species of tamarin from South America. It is found in Brazil, between Rio Jurua and Rio Tarauacá.-Subspecies:*S. m. crandalli Crandall‘s saddleback tamarin or Crandall's saddle-back tamarin...
, Saguinus melanoleucus
- Golden-mantled Tamarin
The golden-mantled tamarin is a tamarin species from South America. It is found in Ecuador and Peru, specifically in the upper Amazon , east of the Andes in Ecuador, and Northeast Peru; between the Rio Curaray and Rio Napo in Peru.-Taxonomic classification:There are seventeen species in this...
, Saguinus tripartitus
- S. mystax group
- Moustached Tamarin
The moustached tamarin or Spix's moustached tamarin is a tamarin found in tropical forests in Brazil and Peru. It is black with a white moustache, white nose, and brownish back...
, Saguinus mystax
- Spix's Moustached Tamarin, Saguinus mystax mystax
- White-rump Moustached Tamarin, Saguinus mystax pluto
- Red-capped Tamarin
The red-capped tamarin, Saguinus pileatus, is a species of tamarin from South America. It is found in Brazil, on the eastern margin of Lago de Téfé.It grows to 56 cm long....
, Saguinus pileatus
- White-lipped Tamarin
The white-lipped tamarin , also known as the red-bellied tamarin, is a tamarin which lives in the Amazon area of Brazil and Bolivia....
, Saguinus labiatus
- Emperor Tamarin
The Emperor Tamarin is a tamarin allegedly named for its resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II. It lives in the southwest Amazon Basin, in east Peru, north Bolivia and in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas....
, Saguinus imperator
- S. bicolor group
- Pied Tamarin
The pied tamarin is an endangered primate species found in a restricted area in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest.- Range :...
, Saguinus bicolor
- Martins's Tamarin
Martins's tamarin, Saguinus martinsi, is a species of tamarin endemic to Brazil.-References:*...
, Saguinus martinsi
- Martin's Bare-face Tamarin, Saguinus martinsi martinsi
- Ochraceus Bare-face Tamarin, Saguinus martinsi ochraceus
- S. oedipus group
- Cottontop Tamarin
The cotton-top tamarin , also known as the Pinché tamarin, is a small New World monkey weighing less than 1 lb...
or Pinché Tamarin, Saguinus oedipus
- Geoffroy's Tamarin
Geoffroy's tamarin , also known as the Panamanian, red-crested or rufous-naped tamarin, is a tamarin, a type of small monkey, found in Panama and Colombia. It is predominantly black and white, with a reddish nape. Diurnal, Geoffroy's tamarin spends most of its time in trees, but does come down to...
, Saguinus geoffroyi
- White-footed Tamarin
The white-footed tamarin is a tamarin species endemic to Colombia.-References:*...
, Saguinus leucopus
- S. inustus group
- Mottle-faced Tamarin
The mottle-faced tamarin, Saguinus inustus, is a species of tamarin from South America. It is found in Brazil and Colombia.-References:*...
, Saguinus inustus
External links