Tamarins are squirrel sized New World Monkeys indigenous to Central and South America including the Amazon Basin and Northern Bolivia. They are not however found in mountainous areas at higher altitudes. They are tree living monkeys and are diurnal, foraging by day and sleeping at night.

 

Midas Tamarin, Saguinus midas

Black Tamarin, Saguinus niger

White-mantled Tamarin, Saguinus melanoleucus

Golden-mantled Tamarin, Saguinus tripartitus

Moustached Tamarin, Saguinus mystax

Spix's Moustached Tamarin, Saguinus mystax mystax

White-rump Moustached Tamarin, Saguinus mystax pluto

Black-mantled Tamarin, Saguinus nigricollis

Spix's Black-mantled Tamarin, Saguinus nigricollis nigricollis

Hernandez-Camacho's Black-mantled Tamarin Saguinus nigricollis hernandezi

Red-capped Tamarin, Saguinus pileatus

White-lipped Tamarin, Saguinus labiatus

Emperor Tamarin, Saguinus imperator

Pied Tamarin, Saguinus bicolor

Martins's Tamarin, Saguinus martinsi

Martin's Bare-face Tamarin, Saguinus martinsi martinsi

Ochraceus Bare-face Tamarin, Saguinus martinsi ochraceus

Cottontop Tamarin or Pinché Tamarin, Saguinus oedipus

Geoffroy's Tamarin, Saguinus geoffroyi

White-footed Tamarin, Saguinus leucopus

Mottle-faced Tamarin, Saguinus inustus

Graells's Tamarin, Saguinus graellsi

Brown-mantled Tamarin or Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis

Spix's Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis fuscicollis

Geoffroy's Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis nigrifrons

Illiger's Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis illigeri

Andean Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis leucogenys

Red-mantle Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis lagonotus

Saguinus fuscicollis fuscus

Avila Pires' Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis avilapiresi

Weddell's Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis weddelli

Cruz Lima's Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis cruzlimai

Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis primitivus

Mura's Saddle-back Tamarin, Saguinus fuscicollis mura

Tamarins vary in colour from all black to brown, red, white and mixtures of these colours and a striking feature of many species is a prominent moustache or a crown of long hair. They are all relatively small monkeys, varying in body size from 18 to 30 cms (7 to 12 inches) and with long tails of 25 to 44 cms (10 to 18 inches). They live in groups which may contain several families and total up to 40 members, smaller groups of less than 15  animals are however more common.

Tamarins are omnivorous, eating amongst other things fruits, green plants, spiders, insects, small vertebrates and birds eggs. They are monogamous, mating for life and usually giving birth to twins, which the father cares for most of the time, with the mother carrying out nursing and transportation duties. Other group members help care for infants and help with foraging and predator watching vigils.

Major predators include cats, snakes and birds of prey (raptors).  Most species are threatened by habitat loss due to the activities of man. Some are now critically threatened.

Our Cotton Top Tamarins Poppy and Chewy are pictured here.