Golden Lion Tamarin

Named for the mane of fur around its head and bright coloration.


They live in small family groups of about 4 or 5 animals, sometimes more, consisting of a breeding pair and their youngest offspring.

  • Least Concern
  • Near Threatened
  • Vulnerable
  • Endangered
  • Critically Endangered
  • Extinct in the Wild
  • Extinct

The young will stay with their parents after they are weaned and will help their parents raise the newest young. Dominant female Golden Lion Tamarins physically discipline subordinate females so much that they will not come into season and will not breed. Parents have a strong pair-bond and will stay with each other for life. They have long narrow hands and fingers, which they use to probe for insects and other possible food sources that may be hiding under tree bark.

Key Facts

Family:
Callitritchidae
Diet:
Mainly soft fruits and insects but also flowers, nectar, eggs, invertebrates and vertebrates such as reptiles, amphibians and small birds, and reported to gnaw tree bark to obtain gum.
Life Span:
12 years wild | Early 20’s captivity
Distribution:
Atlantic coast of south-eastern Brazil.
Did you know?
Tamarins cannot grip objects very well because their thumbs are not completely opposable - an exception in the primate family.

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