Golden Lion Tamarin

Range:
Atlantic lowland coastal rainforest of Brazil.

Habitat:
dense forest that is entangled with many vines and has a high density of fruit, the climate is extremely humid; they occupy the closed canopy, often remaining 10-30 meters off the ground

Size:
Body Length: 20-36.6 cm (13-15 in); Tail Length: 31.5-40 cm (10-15 in); Weight: 22-25 ounces.

Young:
usually non-identical twins

Gestation:
130-135 days

Diet (wild):
Omnivore: spiders, snails, small lizards, eggs, small birds, fruits and vegetables

Diet (zoo):
Vegetables, crickets, and mealworms.

Life spans (wild):
10-15 years

Life spans (captivity):
30 years or more

Status:
Endangered, CITES Appendix I

Threats:
habitat loss, the pet trade, and their use in medical laboratories

Anatomy/Physiology:
They have small, rounded heads with a thick golden mane on the crown, cheeks, throat, ears and shoulders. Their bare faces are flat and have widely spaced nostrils. Their bodies are covered in long, soft silky hair with colors ranging from pale golden to a rich reddish-gold. They have acute sight and hearing and a good sense of smell. All their digits bear modified claws except their big toe, which has a flat nail. Their claws are used to dig into large branches for a good hold. They have a non-opposable thumb.

Social/Family units:
They are a social species and can be found living in groups of 2-8, usually made up of family members. The groups have a breeding pair, their offspring of 1 or 2 litters and possibly other relatives. The groups are usually nuclear families, but can be extended families.

Habits:
There is one breeding pair per group and the rearing the young is a group effort, although it is mainly done by the father. The young will cling to its mother for the first few weeks. At about week 5, it begins to expand its curiousity and experience things on its own. In some cases, it has been observed that a parent prefers to tend to an offspring of its own sex, but with experienced parents, it did not make a difference. The adult males spend a lot of time grooming the adult females. The juveniles play a lot by chasing each other around and wrestling.

Communication:
They have very distinct vocalizations with about 17 different and specific calls used for things like alarms, defense, etc. Their sounds include trilling for solo activity, clucking during foraging, whining for contact, and long, song-like calls for vigilance. There is some sexual dimorphism in the calls.

Defensive/Aggressive behavior:
They are very territorial and they defend their territories by scent marking and vocalized threats. When threatened they erect their mane, arch their back, stare, show their teeth, and shriek.

Prey items:
spiders, snails, small lizards, eggs, small birds, fruits and vegetables

Predators:
cats, birds of prey, and snakes

Locomotion:
They use all fours to get around. They run and walk through the trees and spring and leap between branches and vines. Nothing has been documented whether they use their tails to swing from or not.

Activity:
Diurnal, but they do take midday naps

Any interesting story/fact:
They eat insects using their long, slender fingers to get into small crevices in the tree bark. This technique is called "micromanipulation." They will sometimes share food amoung family members, but not with unrelated individuals. The juveniles, for example, have fun stealing food from parents or siblings.