Fun Tamarin Monkeys Facts For Kids

Tamarin monkeys (genus saguinus order primates) are considered rare and are one of the most endangered species that live in the exceedingly rare and important forests of Brazil.

Leontopithecus rosalia have mustache-like facial hair and are found in a variety of colors ranging from mixtures of black, white, brown, along with shades of yellow and golden for golden lion tamarin monkeys (Leontopithecus Rosalia).

They can jump from over 18 m from the tree without any injury.

There are various species of tamarin monkeys that are listed as endangered and facing the threat of extinction such as pied tamarin monkey, golden lion tamarin monkey, and cotton top tamarin monkey.

The natural predators of the monkey tamarin are cats, birds of prey and snakes. These primates are native to the forests of Brazil and are capable of jumping across branches.

Tamarin monkeys (genus saguinus order primates) are very supportive and social creatures that tend to help the members of their troops and are known to rush for aid and help when one of their mates is attacked by any of the predators.

Their light weight allows them to access insects and fruits present at the end of the branches where heavier animals can not reach.

To learn more about mammals, check out Hamadryas baboon facts and Eastern lowland gorilla.

Tamarin Monkey Interesting Facts

What type of animal are tamarin monkeys?

Tamarin monkeys are the rarest of species belonging to the genus saguinus and order primates. They are amongst the hundreds of species of monkeys that are found around the world. Their long fingers allow them to snap up insects, lizards, and birds, which they love to eat.

What class of animal do tamarin monkeys belong to?

The tamarin monkeys (genus saguinus order primates) belong to the mammal class of animals and are known to give birth to their young ones just like other monkeys. These monkeys are native to forests of Brazil and prefer living in a group.

How many tamarin monkeys are there in the world?

Tamarin monkeys are very rare to find these days and there are only around 2500 tamarin monkeys left in the whole world. Golden lion tamarins and many other species belong to the endangered status category and have been for a long time.

The golden lion tamarin monkey is amongst the rarest species around the world, accounting for just 1000 of them left in the wild and around another 500 monkeys in captivity. In the wild, these animals spend most of their time on trees and eat fruits and insects.

Where do tamarin monkeys live?

Tamarin monkeys live in trees present in lowland, seasonal flooded forests and mountains. Golden lion tamarins are found in the trees of swampy forests of Rio de Janeiro, different regions of southern central America and south-central America along with regions of the Amazon basin.

What is a tamarin monkey's habitat?

The native habitat of tamarin monkeys is the trees of Southwest Amazon Basin, with a range that crosses Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil. Golden lion tamarins are widely discovered in a variety of habitat including the woods, lowlands, mountains, and even in tropical rainforest.

The conservation of the habitat of these small animals is extremely important in order to control their dwindling population.

Who do tamarin monkeys live with?

Tamarin monkeys live with a typical family group consisting of around 10-15 members each, where there is not much competition among groups. These squirrel-sized monkeys are active social creatures that live in groups called 'troops'.

How long do tamarin monkeys live?

A tamarin monkey’s estimated life span is between 10-20 years, although individuals of most species among the tamarin monkeys have an average life span of about 10 years.

Golden lion tamarins can also have a longer life when held in captivity and when taken care of. When in the wild their life span is around eight years while in captivity, these animals can live up to 20 years.

Efforts for the conservation of these small animals are very necessary to save some of the species from extinction and prolonging their life span.

How do they reproduce?

Males reach sexual maturity at the age of two years while the females reach sexual maturity at the age of around 1.5 years. Golden lion tamarins belong to the class of mammals and are known to give birth to their young ones and have up to three young babies at once.

Golden lion tamarin monkeys are also known to give birth to twins.

They have a gestation period of around 140-145 days on average and are known to take care of their babies. All the female tamarin monkeys are known to mate with all the males of the family groups regarded as a troop.

What is their conservation status?

Tamarin monkeys live largely in the Amazon area, which is one of the most biodiverse areas in the whole world. The tamarin are listed under the most endangered status  on the IUCN Red List species with a count of 1000.

Their population is depleting almost every day, and they are very prone to becoming extinct in the next few years.

The pied tamarin monkey, golden lion tamarin monkey, and cotton top tamarin monkey are some of the species that require serious conservation efforts. Without concerted conservation efforts, many species of these small animals may go extinct in future.

Tamarin Monkey Fun Facts

What do tamarin monkeys look like?

Tamarin monkeys are weird yet great-looking creatures that are regarded as new generation squirrel-sized monkeys when compared to normal species of monkeys. There are around 30 different species of them that are found around the world is a new looking group of New World monkeys.

They have varied appearances and have been named accordingly, such as mustached tamarin, emperor tamarin monkey, cotton-top tamarin, graells's tamarin, mottle-faced tamarin, golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia).

How cute are they?

The tamarin monkeys are very cute, golden lion tamarin monkeys have fur in a variety of colors based on their species ranging from golden, black, brown up to shades of white shiny and silky fur over their outer covering.

How do they communicate?

The males and females communicate with a series of calls and vocalizations that also this help them stay alert the group about potential predators. Golden lion tamarins are known social creatures that live in groups called troops and use different sounds and vocals to communicate with one another.

How big is a tamarin monkey?

The golden lion tamarin monkey had been regarded as the new world squirrel-sized monkey and it is actually tiny and roughly the size of a squirrel with a height of 6-12 in and weighing between 1 lb. Golden lion tamarins are so small that they can even become prey for a bird.

How fast can a tamarin monkey move?

Different species of tamarin monkeys are known to have various different adaptations according to their habitat and suited to their environment. Usually, one of the fastest species among tamarin monkeys is the emperor tamarin monkey that can run at a speed of around 24 miles per hour, which is pretty fast.

How much does a tamarin monkey weigh?

A tamarin monkey is tiny with a weight of around 1 lb only. This small tamarin monkey is of the same size as that of a squirrel.

What are their male and female names of the species?

There is no differentiation in name between male and female tamarin monkeys; golden lion tamarin monkeys are generally termed as female tamarin monkeys and male tamarin monkeys. It is also found that it is hard to differentiate between male and female tamarin monkeys.

What would you call a baby tamarin monkey?

Baby tamarin monkeys don’t have any specific names, but they are commonly called infants or baby tamarin monkeys.

What do they eat?

Tamarin monkeys are omnivores creatures as golden lion tamarin monkeys are known to feed on different fruits, small insects, lizards, and nectar as well.

Are they friendly?

Tamarin monkeys are considered to be very playful and social mammals and golden lion tamarin monkeys have a really friendly nature but also require much more grooming and care as compared to other normal pets.

Would they make good pets?

Tamarin monkeys are very active, social, friendly, and intelligent creatures compared to other pet animals, but golden lion tamarin monkeys also demand much more care and dedication to keep them as pets.

Did you know...

Golden lion tamarin monkeys are diurnal and are usually the most active during the day and stay within their family groups at night.

With golden lion tamarin monkeys, there are known to be ten different species of tamarin monkeys that are later bifurcated into 33, and the most common ones are

Golden lion tamarin monkeys can jump from over 18 m from and onto trees without any injury

If one golden lion tamarin monkey is attacked, the others will rush for aid and are known to guard one another in the troop.

The males look after babies and groom them more than compared to female tamarin monkeys.

What eats tamarin monkeys?

Golden lion tamarin monkeys are really small creatures almost the size of a squirrel and are easy prey to many predators, including snakes, wild cats, and even large birds.

Are golden lion tamarins good at sharing?

Tamarin monkeys are considered to be very kind as they share with the young and even other adults of the group, especially the pregnant monkeys in the troop. Golden lion tamarin monkeys are really generous and helping in nature along with being social creatures that help other monkeys of their group.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including pygmy marmoset, or patas monkey.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Tamarin Monkey coloring pages.