Squirrel-sized New World monkeys in 22 species, many with moustache-like facial hair. They run and leap through tropical rainforest and open forest, and usually have twins, which the whole group helps to raise.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inSouth America, Central America
HabitatRainforest, Forest
ColoursBlack, Orange, White
SizeTiny
Length13–30 cm, plus a 25–44 cm tail
Weight348–575 g
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives infamilies
Lives for13–20 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- From southern Central America to central South America: northwestern Colombia, the Amazon basin and the Guianas.
- What it eats
- Omnivores: fruit and other plant parts, spiders, insects, small vertebrates and birds’ eggs.
Did you know
The emperor tamarin has a long white moustache, said to be named after a kaiser.
Groups can have up to 40 members, but usually have just three to nine.
In captivity, cotton-top tamarins have lived up to 23 years.
Often confused with
- Marmoset
Marmosets are close relatives in the same family; they gnaw holes in trees to feed on gum and sap.
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