Tamarin Monkeys
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Tamarins, New World monkeys that share the same family (Callitrichidae) with Marmoset monkeys, divide into two genera.
- genus Leontopithecus - the Lion Tamarins
- genus Saguinus - Tamarins
Lion Tamarins inhabit Brazil's coastal forests. Saguins Tamarins inhabit a range of South American forests.
Like the Marmosets, they are small (average height less than a foot) monkeys with claws on their fingers and toes and tails usually longer than their bodies. The Lion Tamarins are so named because their facial hair pattern resembles the facial hair pattern of male lions.
Their diet consists of insects, plants and fruits. Again, like the Marmosets, they consume some tree sap (gum) although they lack the Marmoset incisors to help them actively extract it from trees.
Along with spider monkeys, Lion Tamarins rank among the most endangered of the New World Monkeys. The IUCN lists all four Lion Tamarin species as endangered. Captive breeding programs for reintroduction to the wild, are ongoing.
The fifteen Leontopithecus species fare a little better in the wild than the Lion Tamarins, with only three listed as endangered.
© 2010 Patricia A. Michaels.