Pygmy Marmoset

Pygmy Marmoset

Range: Upper Amazon basin, in Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.

Habitat: Pygmy marmosets can be found in floodplain forests near rivers, bamboo thickets and secondary growth forests.

Gestation: 119-142 days

Offspring: Usually, twins are born; occasionally, there are triplets or a single offspring.

Size: From nose to tail tip, these tiny marmosets are only about 12 to 14 inches long, and weigh only 4-5 oz.

Diet: They primarily eat tree sap, or "gum, " but will also snack on spiders, insects, flowers and fruit.

Characteristics: Pygmy marmosets have special chisel-like teeth which they use to dig out tree bark, to get at the sweet sap underneath. They live in family groups consisting of one adult pair and offspring from up to four litters. Only the adult female reproduces, while the older offspring help raise the babies!

Threats: Destruction of their habitat is their biggest threat.