Cotton Topped Tamarin
Saguinus Oedipus
ORDER: Primates
FAMILY: Callitrichidae
GENUS: Saguinous
SPECIES: Oedipus
Features:
The
cotton topped tamarin is strikingly marked with the long back fur
dark brown, the fur on the underside pure white and the face black
with a collar of rufous fur. "Cotton-topped" refers to the prominent
crest of white hair that extends back over the head and from ear to
ear. They are considered one of the bare-faced tamarins because of
the lack of facial hair. Their lower canine teeth are longer than
their incisors, so it seems as if they have small tusks. These
monkeys are about the size of a squirrel and weigh 10-18 ounces. The
males are only slightly larger than females. A medium cotton-top
tamarin weighs 432 gms. Tamarins are among the smallest of the
primates. Head body length of this species is 17 cm and tail length
is 25 cm. Forelimbs are shorter than the hind limbs. The thumb is
not opposable and the tail is not prehensile. All the finger and toe
nails are like claws except for the big toe which has a flat nail.
Location:
The
cotton-topped tamarin ranging from southeastern Costa Rica in
Central America to northwestern Colombia, South America in the They
prefer dense vegetation with lots of vines where insects are
numerous. Biomes: tropical forests, open woodlands, dry tropical,
dry thorn forest savanna, scrub and edge forests.
Food:
Tamarins main diet consists of insects, ripe fruit, seeds, nectar,
and gum from trees that has oozed out. Other foods include some
tender vegetation, spiders, small vertebrates, and birds' eggs.
Mice, frogs, birds and lizards are skillfully killed by a quick head
bite, a learned behavior.
Social:
Research also shows cottontops to be cooperative and pacifist to a
surprising degree. Cotton-topped tamarins are found in groups of two
to thirteen and they accept newcomers into their fold readily. All
group members, even newcomers, take some part in carrying the young
and giving them food morsels, particularly insects, and to the
breeding female and infant carriers. The adult "helpers" gain
experience in parenting by sharing in these tasks.
The
female usually gives birth to twins. The father assists at birth
receiving and washing the young. The newborn have a coat of short
hair and are helpless. Newborns are able to cling tightly to the
body of the mother or father by using their hands and feet. The
father carries the young, but transfers them to the mother at
feeding time. At about 21 days of age, the young start exploring
nearby surroundings, but they continue to ride on the backs of the
parents until they are about six to seven weeks old. At four weeks,
they begin to accept soft food in addition to their mother’s milk.
Movement:
They move from
tree to tree by running or walking quadrupedally along horizontal
branches and leaping as much as three meters to a branch in an
adjacent tree. They move with quick, jerky movements. They are very
alert and active. Claw-like nails help them grip branches better,
since their small size and non-opposable fingers make encircling
difficult. Long limbs and the extremely long tail make them
excellent jumpers.
Territories:
These tamarins will mark their territory with their scent by sliding
their bottom, or by rubbing the scent on the bottom of their feet.
When coming into contact with other groups, instead of physical
contact they will threaten the other group with the showing of their
bottoms as a territorial display.
Communication:
Cotton-topped tamarins vocalize with birdlike whistles, soft
chirping sounds, high-pitched trilling and staccato calls.
Researchers say their repertory of 38 distinct sounds is unusually
sophisticated, conforming to grammatical rules and able to express
curiosity, fear, dismay, playfulness, warnings, joy and calls to
young. They have loud territorial songs as well as songs when they
are excited. They also do tonguing which is when a
cotton-top tamarin rapidly moves the tongue out of its mouth across
the lips. This may be a recognition signal, or could be used to
communicate anger or curiosity. A "threat face" consists of lowering
the forehead until it forms a bulge which almost covers the eyes;
the lips are pushed forward and the head and neck crests are
erected. This apparently is sufficient since no other body language
is used.
Habits:
They
sleep in broad tree forks or cavities and are diurnal (active during
the day).
Status:
Life
span in captivity has been as high as 25 years whereas life span in
the wild is about 13 – 16 years. The population is less than 1000 in
the wild and about 1800 in captivity, and is continuing to decline.
This species is endangered, having lost three-quarters of its
original habitat to deforestation. Clearing of forest habitat by
people is the main problem and populations also were depleted by
taking them for the pet trade and for scientific research. They are
now protected by international law, although they are numerous in
captivity, they are still critically endangered in the wild.
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