IUCN Conservation Status –
Least Concern
Extinct In The Wild
Class: Mammals
Order: Primates
Family: Callitrichidae
Our four male pygmy marmosets live over on Tapir Island.
Pygmy marmosets are endemic to South America, where they occur in the western part of Amazon Basin. Their preferred type of habitat is lowland, tropical evergreen forest with river floodplains. They favour forests that remain flooded for over 3 months per year.
They feed on the sap of trees by gnawing at the bark and also eat fruit, insects, spiders, small birds and eggs.
Interesting facts!
- As their name may suggest, pygmy marmosets are the smallest monkeys around the globe.
- They are very sociable primates, gathering in groups of 2-15 individuals. These troops are normally family troops, consisting of the breeding pair and their offspring. The group will normally territory of up to 100 acres.
- Pygmy marmosets are very agile flexible creatures. They can take long leaps of up to 15 feet into the air as well as rotate their head for up to 180 degrees.
Conservation
Although the species presently faces habitat destruction, this factor doesn’t have a noticeable impact on their population as a whole. However, these animals are still threatened by some localized factors, such as collection for the pet trade.
