Secondary forest and low vine tangles from sea level to 1500m in Colombia and Panama, South America.
Unique Features ||
Cotton-top tamarins get their name from the long fanlike crests of white hair on their heads. They are one of the smallest monkeys in the world.
Social Behaviour ||
The cotton-top tamarin is diurnal (awake during the day) and arboreal (lives in trees). They live in multi-male and multi-female groups and display aggression and dominance by standing bipedally (up on two legs).
Diet ||
Fruit, seeds, gums, insects, small lizards, mice and birds.
Reproduction ||
Cotton-Top Tamarins have a restricted mating season each year, and gestation lasts around 140 days. Up to three babies may be born, but twins are most common. Parental care is shared between both parents with the father carrying the babies on his back most of the time. Siblings will also carry and care for the babies as practice for when they have their own families.
Life Cycle ||
The average life span is 13.5 years.
Relatives ||
They are closely related to the other tamarins and to other new world monkeys.
Interesting Facts :
Weighing only 350-450g, cotton top tamarins can leap up to three metres horizontally.
They drink sap from trees which have been scored by other animals.
Breeding Programme ||
Cotton-top tamarins are part of a regional breeding programme.
Environmental Conditions ||
Although fully protected, on-going habitat destruction is still affecting numbers in the wild. Poachers still take tamarins from their forest homes to sell as pets on the black market.
At Wellington Zoo ||
At Wellington Zoo we have six cotton-top tamarins.
