Cotton-Topped Tamarin

(Saguinus oedipus)

Live: North West Colombia

Habitat: Wet and dry tropical forest

Diet: Fruit, flowers, gum, nectar, insects and even small vertebrates

Gestation: 140 days, usually give birth to non-identical twins

Longevity: Average is 13 years but up to 24 years in captivity

Status: Endangered

General: Cotton-topped tamarins have a streak of long white hair on their heads, which they raise as a mild threat. They have black faces, white stomachs and brown backs, with reddish hairs around the base of their tail.

They commonly live in groups of 3-9 individuals, which usually consist of a dominant mated pair and their young, plus transient subordinate animals (young males and females that enter and leave the main group).

Both parents care for young – fathers carry them and pass them to their mothers for feeding. Other group members may also help carry and feed the young.

They sleep in broad tree forks and vine tangles within their home range, and use facial expressions, posture and various vocalisations to defend this area.

The Cotton-Topped Tamarin is threatened by habitat loss, as a result of deforestation for housing and agriculture.