The golden lion tamarin is a beautiful species in the monkey suborder. It lives in southeastern Brazil and is critically endangered.
What It Looks Like
A golden tamarin’s body is about eight to twelve inches long and it has a twelve and a half to fourteen and a half inch tail. This species of tamarin weighs between fourteen and twenty-nine ounces which is twice the average for all marmosets and tamarins. The fur of a golden lion tamarin is unsurprisingly a golden color. The tamarin’s silky fur forms a kind of mane around the animal’s head. This is where it gets its name. The face is gray. It has long and thing fingers and claws.
What It Does and How It Acts
The golden tamarin is active during the day and rests at night. Like many primates it is arboreal or lives in trees. The golden tamarins live in groups of about 14. A single group has a territory of about 400,000 square meters that they regularly patrol. There territories are well marked with scent glands and there are ritual meetings with other groups so that fighting is very rare between different groups. Both females and males leave the group although there is a very low survival rate for them. Less than a fourth are able to join other groups or start their own group in new territory. Both the job of watching for predators and resources are shared equally between all members of the groups.
How It Reproduces and When It Dies
Lion golden tamarins are able to breed at eighteen months and become fully mature at two to three years old. Only the leading pair of a group will reproduce. Normally there will be only one or two offspring. Gestation or pregnancy is 126-130. More often than not twins are born. There are only one or two litters in a single year. Young are cooperatively reared although the males have most of the rearing duties while the females nurse and carry around the infants during their first week. Young golden lion tamarins are weaned at about ninety days old and less than half survive their first year. The average lifespan of a golden lion tamarin in the wild is fifteen years although those in captivity have been reported to live almost thirty.
Golden lion tamarins are omnivorous. The drink rainwater caught in the leaves of the trees. They eat insects, small animals and also fruit. Its main predators are big cats, snakes and birds of prey.
Where It Lives
The golden lion tamarins live in the forests in southeastern Brazil. The majority of the population is in a protected are called Reserva Biologica de Poco Des Antas. This is located in the state of the Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
Why It’s Endangered
An extremely large portion of the tamarin’s previous habitat has been deforested for lumber, charcoal, plantations, cattle pasture and development. One source reports that this portion is as large as 90% of the golden tamarin’s territory. In the past golden lion tamarins have also been captured for both zoos and private collections. Still now, deforestation is continuing to take place in order to build beach homes.
What Is Being Done To Help
There is the Poco des Antas Reserve in Brazil that has been developed for the sole purpose of golden lion tamarin conservation. Since 1984 there have been about 140 captive bred golden lion tamarins released into the preserve. For those who wish to help in the conservation of the golden lion tamarin and other endangered species should never buy products that have been made from animal parts. They can also contact zoos and inquire about any conservation programs. Alternatively, anyone wanting to help with animal conservation can visit www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/
