This is the PPS format for the online presentation of the pygmy marmoset.

1. Pygmy MarmosetMore Than Meets the Eye
(Photo Courtesy San Diego Zoo 2015)
Cindy Henry
Bio: 123 575
Animal Behavior

2. Description
 Classification: Callithrix pygmaea
 Smallest monkey in the world
 Average 5.35 in (12 in with tail) &
4.2 oz
 Females slightly larger than males
 Average lifespan = 12 years
(Photo Courtesy Luis Claudio Marigo)

3. Description (cont.)—Physical Attributes
 Brownish-gold fur
 Black ticking on shoulders, back,
head
 Ventral fur is light yellow to white
 Tails longer than bodies—marked with
black rings
 Not prehensile (capable of grasping)
 Mane of hair covers forehead and
ears
 White marks on both sides of mouth
and stripe down nose
(Photo Courtesy Monkey Worlds 2014)

4. Description (cont.)—Physical Attributes
 Elongated, narrow incisors
 Claw-like nails (tegulae)
 Do not have opposable thumbs
 Leap 15 ft
 Turn head 180 degrees
 Predatory defense ability
(Photo Courtesy San Diego Zoo 2015)

5. Habitat
 Native to Peru, Ecuador, Colombia,
Bolivia, Brazil
 Live in evergreen forests and edge
of river floodplains
 Keep to vertical sections near
ground level to about 65ft
 Home range about 2.5 acres
 Home ranges of nearby groups do
not overlap
 Groups will exchange home ranges
once a group leaves a given area
(Google Maps 2015)

6. Communication
 Use vocal cues, visual indicators,
and scent
 Use different vocal cues to
communicate different information
 Squeaky, closed mouth trills to
recognize group members
 Soft, twittery chirps to indicate
submission
 Loud, open mouth trills to signal alarm
(Video Courtesy BBC, Found at Atheist
Planet Blog 2010) Skip to 5:30-6:15 to
hear calls of the pygmy marmoset
encountering another group.
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=SSVF4CuXYno

7. Feeding Patterns/Diet
 Exuditavore-insectivore
 Feed on gum, sap, insects
 60 to 80% of their total feeding time is spent on
exudates, 12 to 16% on insects
 Uses elongated incisors to make circular holes in
tree to extract sap/gum
 Will feed from the same tree until it no longer
yields exudates
 Can make up to 1,300 holes in a single tree
 move between trees within their home range
 Two peaks of feeding over the course of a day
 6:00am-9:00am
 3:00pm-6:00pm
(Video Courtesy National Geographic
2012) See how pygmy marmosets feed on
trees and prey on insects.
Direct link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okoq04AocBk

8. Natural Enemies
Most common predators:
 several birds of prey
 small wildcats
 climbing snakes
 capuchin monkeys
 Tayras
Fur acts as camouflage in their
surroundings
Common feeding competition:
 Saddleback and mustached
tamarins
 Feed from holes made by
marmosets
 Ants
 Carry solidified gum from the
trees

9. Social Behavior
 Tight knit group—typically consists
of 2 to 9 members:
 Dominant male and female
 Their offspring
 Occasional unrelated members
 Use sleeping sites as a group,
travel together and feed.
 Between feedings, they engage in
grooming, huddling, and playing
together
 All interactions are
internal/exclusive to group
(Photo Courtesy San Diego Zoo 2015)

10. Reproduction
 Monogamous
 Dominant male and female that
produce offspring
 Studies indicate females use
olfactory cues/behavior to
convey reproductive state
 Gestation period: 4.5 months
 Give birth to non-identical
twins
 Newborns weigh .5oz at birth
(Photo Courtesy Frösö Zoo 2006) Two
albino pygmy marmosets shown shorty
after birth.

11. Reproduction (cont.)—Infant care
 Maternal duties are minimal—limited to
nursing, anogenital licking, protection
against predators
 All other duties fall on father, siblings,
and group members:
 24 hours after birth, these members are
responsible for carrying all of the young
 Infants weaned after 3 months
 Reach sexual maturity around 1.5 years,
reach adult weight at 2 years
 Juvenile members remain with group for
2 consecutive birth cycles
 May leave to find another group or start their
own
(Video Courtesy Houston Zoo 2009) A pygmy
marmoset father carries his offspring.
Direct link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DerP_2lvqJ0

12. Conservation
 ‘Least concern’ on the IUCN
Red List
 Biggest threats:
 habitat loss
 several known regions protected to
prevent deforestation
 exotic pet trade
 US banned import of primates, most
South American countries have
banned primate exporting
(Video Courtesy Rare Species Conservatory
Foundation 2013) Meet Nanita, a deaf pygmy
marmoset raised in captivity after being
rejected by her mother.
Direct link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6ZM2Q-D0b8

13. Research
 Very limited research available
 Due to their small size and regions they are found
 First long-term field study conducted by Pekka Soini
 provided most of the knowledge currently available on the species
 Ongoing studies on pygmy marmosets in captivity
 Studying behavior, reproduction, communication