Cotton Top Tamarin With Baby 43cm

Physical Characteristics
Tamarins are any of the squirrel-sized New World monkeys from the family Cebidae, classified as the genus Saguinus. The various species of Tamarins differ considerably according to their appearance, ranging from nearly all black through mixtures of black, brown and white. Many species typically have moustache-like facial hairs and crests of hair. Their body size ranges from 18 to 30 cm (plus a 25 to 44 cm long tail) and they are light-weight only 220 to 900 grams. You can recognise a Tamarin by the fact that its lower canine teeth are clearly longer than the incisors.

Habitat
Tamarin monkey habitats range from southern Central America (Costa Rica) through middle South America (Amazon basin and North Bolivia, however not in the mountainous parts). Tamarins are inhabitants of tropical rain forests and open forest areas.

Behaviour
Arboreal in nature, the Cottontop Tamarin is most active between sunrise and sunset (diurnal), it spends a large portion of its activity time foraging for animal prey, searching through leaves and along branches, and peering and reaching into holes and crevices in branches and tree trunks. It sleeps in broad tree forks or cavities. When alarmed or excited, Cottontop Tamarins raise the hair on the crown of their head and stand up tall to make themselves look bigger. Tamarins live together in groups of up to 40 members consisting of one or more families. More frequently though, groups are composed of just three to nine members.

Breeding
Gestation for Tamarin Monkeys is typically 140 days, and births are normally twins. The father primarily cares for the young, bringing them to their mother to nurse. After approximately one month the young begin to eat solid food although they aren't fully weaned for another two to three months. They reach full maturity in their second year.

Diet
Tamarins are omnivores, eating fruits and other plant parts as well as spiders, insects, small vertebrates and bird eggs

Strange and Interesting Facts
In captivity, Tamarins can live to be 25 years old, but typically in the wild they will only live for 13-15 years.