Marmoset

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Marmosets [1] [2]
Marmoset copy.jpg
Common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) at Tibau do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Parvorder: Platyrrhini
Family: Callitrichidae
Groups included
Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa

The marmosets ( /ˈmɑːrməˌzɛts,-ˌsɛts/ ), [3] [4] also known as zaris or sagoin, are twenty-two New World monkey species of the genera Callithrix , Cebuella , Callibella , and Mico . All four genera are part of the biological family Callitrichidae. The term "marmoset" is also used in reference to Goeldi's marmoset, Callimico goeldii, which is closely related.

Contents

Most marmosets are about 20 cm (8 in) long. Relative to other monkeys, they show some apparently primitive features; they have claws rather than nails, and tactile hairs on their wrists. They lack wisdom teeth, and their brain layout seems to be relatively primitive. Their body temperature is unusually variable, changing by up to 4°C (7°F) in a day. [5] Marmosets are native to South America and have been found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru. [6] They have also been occasionally spotted in Central America and southern Mexico. [7] They are sometimes kept as pets, though they have specific dietary and habitat needs that require consideration. [8]

According to recent research, marmosets exhibit germline chimerism, which is not known to occur in nature in any primates other than callitrichids. [9] 95% of marmoset fraternal twins trade blood through chorionic fusions, making them hematopoietic chimeras. [10] [11]

Etymology

Callithrix comes from Ancient Greek and means "beautiful fur".

Species list

Behavior

Marmosets are highly active, living in the upper canopy of forest trees, and feeding on insects, fruit, leaves, tack, sap, and gum. They have long lower incisors, which allow them to chew holes in tree trunks and branches to harvest the gum inside; some species are specialised feeders on gum. [12]

Marmosets live in family groups of three to 15, consisting of one or two breeding females, an unrelated male, their offspring, and occasionally extended family members and unrelated individuals. Their mating systems are highly variable and can include monogamy, polygyny, and polyandry. In most species, fraternal twins are usually born, but triplets are not unknown. Like other callitrichines, marmosets are characterized by a high degree of cooperative care of the young and some food sharing and tolerated theft. Adult males, females other than the mother, and older offspring participate in carrying infants. Father marmosets are an exceptionally attentive example of fathers within the animal kingdom, going as far as assisting their mates in giving birth, cleaning up afterbirth, and even biting the umbilical cords attaching their newborn offspring to their mothers. Most groups scent mark and defend the edges of their ranges, but whether they are truly territorial is unclear, as group home ranges greatly overlap.[ citation needed ]

The favorite food of marmosets is carbohydrate-rich tree sap, which they reach by gnawing holes in trunks. Their territories are centered on the trees that they regularly exploit in this way. The smaller marmosets venture into the very top of forest canopies to hunt insects that are abundant there. [7]

Marmosets use chirps, trills, and "phee" calls to communicate with each other. "Phee" calls are long-distance vocalizations that help monkeys identify each others' locations. Marmosets have been observed to use distinctive "phee" calls for the different individuals in their group, similar to a human name. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Callitrichidae</span> Family of New World monkeys

The Callitrichidae are a family of New World monkeys, including marmosets, tamarins, and lion tamarins. At times, this group of animals has been regarded as a subfamily, called the Callitrichinae, of the family Cebidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goeldi's marmoset</span> Species of New World monkey

Goeldi's marmoset, or Goeldi's monkey, is a small New World monkey found on the South American continent, mainly in the upper Amazon basin of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Perú. It is the only species classified in the monotypic genus Callimico, thus these monkeys are sometimes referred to as "callimicos". The species takes its name from its discoverer, Swiss-Brazilian naturalist Emil August Goeldi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pygmy marmoset</span> Genus of monkey

Pygmy marmosets are two species of small New World monkeys in the genus Cebuella. They are native to rainforests of the western Amazon Basin in South America. These primates are notable for being the smallest monkeys in the world, at just over 100 g (3.5 oz). They are generally found in evergreen and river-edge forests and are gum-feeding specialists, or gummivores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wied's marmoset</span> Species of New World monkey

Wied's marmoset, also known as Wied's black-tufted-ear marmoset, is a New World monkey that lives in tropical and subtropical forests of eastern Brazil. Unlike other marmosets, Wied's marmoset lives in groups consisting of 4 or 5 females and 2 or 3 males. They are matriarchal, and only the dominant female is allowed to mate. Like other marmosets, the offspring are always born in pairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silvery marmoset</span> Species of New World monkey

The silvery marmoset is a New World monkey that lives in the eastern Amazon Rainforest in Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffy-tufted marmoset</span> Species of New World monkey

The buffy-tufted marmoset, also known as the buffy tufted-ear marmoset or white-eared marmoset, is a New World monkey that lives in the forests on the Atlantic coast of southeast Brazil. Of all the marmosets, it has the southernmost range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common marmoset</span> Species of New World monkey

The common marmoset, also called white-tufted marmoset or white-tufted-ear marmoset, is a New World monkey. It originally lived on the northeastern coast of Brazil, in the states of Piauí, Paraíba, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Alagoas, and Bahia. Through release of captive individuals, it has expanded its range since the 1920s to Southeast Brazil, where it became an invasive species, raising concerns about genetic pollution of similar species, such as the buffy-tufted marmoset, and predation upon bird nestlings and eggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-tufted marmoset</span> Species of New World monkey

The black-tufted marmoset is a species of New World monkey that lives primarily in the Neotropical gallery forests of the Brazilian Central Plateau. It ranges from Bahia to Paraná, and as far inland as Goiás, between 14°S and 25°S, and can commonly be seen in the Rio de Janeiro city where it was introduced. This marmoset typically resides in rainforests, living an arboreal life high in the trees, below the canopy. They are only rarely spotted near the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roosmalens' dwarf marmoset</span> Species of New World monkey

The Roosmalens' dwarf marmoset, also known as the black-crowned dwarf marmoset, is a small New World monkey native to the Amazon Rainforest, on the east bank of the lower Madeira River, and the west bank of the Aripuanã River, in Brazil. It has the smallest distribution of any primate in Amazonia. This marmoset has several unique attributes, which has resulted in it sometimes being placed in the monotypic genus Callibella. However, genetic analysis has subsequently resulted in its being classified within the genus Mico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffy-headed marmoset</span> Species of New World monkey

The buffy-headed marmoset is a rare species of marmoset endemic to the rainforests of south-eastern Brazil. It occurs in southern Espírito Santo and possibly northern Rio de Janeiro and its distribution extends into Minas Gerais.

<i>Mico</i> (genus) Genus of New World monkeys

Mico is a genus of New World monkeys of the family Callitrichidae, the family containing marmosets and tamarins. The genus was formerly considered a subgenus of the genus Callithrix.

<i>Callithrix</i> Genus of New World monkeys

Callithrix is a genus of New World monkeys of the family Callitrichidae, the family containing marmosets and tamarins. The genus contains the Atlantic Forest marmosets. The name Callithrix is derived from the Greek words kallos, meaning beautiful, and thrix, meaning hair.

A gummivore is an omnivorous animal whose diet consists primarily of the gums and saps of trees and bugs for protein. Notable gummivores include arboreal, terrestrial primates like certain marmosets and lemurs. These animals that live off of the injuries of trees live from about 8m off of the ground up to the canopies. The feeding habit of gummivores is gummivory.

Lagonimico is an extinct genus of New World monkeys from the Middle Miocene. Its remains have been found at the Konzentrat-Lagerstätte of La Venta in the Honda Group of Colombia. The type species is Lagonimico conclucatus.

Micodon is an extinct genus of New World monkeys from the Middle Miocene. Its remains have been found at the Konzentrat-Lagerstätte of La Venta in the Honda Group of Colombia. The type species is M. kiotensis, a very small monkey among the New World species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western pygmy marmoset</span> Species of New World monkey

The western pygmy marmoset is a marmoset species, a very small New World monkey found in the northwestern Amazon rainforest in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It was formerly regarded as conspecific with the similar eastern pygmy marmoset, which has whitish underparts. Although the western pygmy marmoset occurs further west than the eastern pygmy marmoset, the primary separators of their ranges are the Amazon River and Marañón River, with the western occurring to the north of them and the eastern to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern pygmy marmoset</span> Species of New World monkey

The eastern pygmy marmoset is a marmoset species, a very small New World monkey, found in the southwestern Amazon Rainforest in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru. It was formerly regarded as conspecific with the similar western pygmy marmoset, but the eastern pygmy marmoset has whitish colored underparts. Although the eastern pygmy marmoset occurs further east than the western pygmy marmoset, the primary separators of their ranges are the Amazon River and Maranon River, with the western occurring to the north of them and the eastern to the south. The species has recently been confirmed by DNA testing to exist in Ecuador, hundreds of kilometers north of the Maranon River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schneider's marmoset</span> Species of New World monkey

Schneider's marmoset is a species of marmoset of the genus Mico in the family Callitrichidae. Endemic to Brazil, it is found in the Amazon rainforest of Mato Grosso state. It is found on the interfluve between the Juruena and Teles Pires rivers. Schneider's marmoset is found in primary and secondary terra firma rainforests and in the transition zone to the Cerrado.

References

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