Marmoset Monkeys
A Quick Look at Marmoset Monkeys
There are eighteen different kinds of marmoset monkeys. Most of them live in the rainforests of Central and South America. They belong to the Callitrichid family, which contains eleven different species of marmoset monkeys and sixteen different types of tamarins. Marmosets belong to the New World Monkeys, which separated from Old World Monkeys, appearing thirty million years ago. Marmoset monkeys are in the same class as the capuchin, squirrel monkeys, owl monkeys, uakari, spider monkeys and the Muriqui monkey.
Marmoset monkeys, as New World Monkeys, live in trees and have different nostrils than Old World Monkeys. Marmoset monkeys are primates, along with apes, humans, and prosimians. Prosimians are more primitive, and include lorises, indri, tarsiers, lemurs, and sifakas. Apes are more intelligent and genetically closer to humans. Apes do not have tails but monkeys do.
The Callitrichid family, to which marmoset monkeys belong, share many similarities with other New World Monkeys. But as a group, the Callitrichids also differ from them. For instance, they are very small and have claws instead of nails on all fingers and toes, except for the big toe. They have 32 teeth, no prehensile tail, and instead of one baby, they have non-identical twins.
All marmoset monkeys eat fruits and small animals, but they rely on tree exudates for their basic diet. These are saps and gums which are obtained from holes that they gnaw in tree bark. Meat that they eat includes crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches and cicadas. Marmosets live in groups of approximately ten, and they protect their territory which can range from one to sixteen acres. Their habitat consists of scrub forest, both coastal and upland, and they can even be found in many city parks and gardens.
Most marmoset monkeys live approximately ten years. They reach maturity at around eighteen months. Females breed for the first time when they are 17-20 months of age. They reproduce twice a year and have two babies each time. The gestation period is in the range of 140-145 days. The entire troop raises the young and the babies are carried place to place by mouth.
Groups of marmoset monkeys can contain one female and many males, one male and many females, or a larger combination of both males and females. Like many animals that live in a family unit, they form a pecking order with only the highest ranked male and female allowed to reproduce. Breeding is suppressed in all other females.
Some marmoset monkeys are endangered and some are not. Among the endangered are the Buffy-headed Marmoset and the Buffy Tuft-eared Marmoset. Among those listed as vulnerable are the Black-headed Marmoset and the Geoffroy’s Tuft-eared Marmoset. The Wisconsin Primate Research Center has been studying marmoset monkeys since 1991.