Golden-headed lion tamarin facts
- Golden-headed lion tamarins usually give birth to twins! Both males and females help to carry the babies on their backs to share the work when raising young.
- In the wild, these monkeys often start their day with a fruity breakfast to give them enough energy to go hunting and foraging throughout the day.
- Golden-headed lion tamarins live in small groups of 2-8 members, usually made up of a pair of adults and their offspring. Each family group occupies its own territory and will aggressively defend it from other tamarin groups.
- In order to communicate with each other in the dense rainforest, golden-headed lion tamarins produce a variety of noises including clucks, trills, and whines.
- Unlike most monkeys, golden-headed lion tamarins have claw-like nails and long fingers to find food in small holes and crevices amongst tree trunks and leaves.
What's the difference between golden lion tamarins and golden-headed lion tamarins?
The clue's in the name! Golden lion tamarins have bright orange fur all over their bodies, whereas golden-headed lion tamarins are mostly black with orange manes. These closely related monkeys are both part of the lion tamarin family, which includes four species in total: golden, golden-headed, black, and black-faced. Males and females both have manes, unlike the lions they share their name with.
What do golden-headed lion tamarins eat?
Fruit, insects, eggs, flowers and nectar.
Where do golden-headed lion tamarins live?
Rainforest within the state of Bahia, Brazil.
Golden-headed lion tamarin threats
It's estimated that over 90% of golden-headed lion tamarin habitat has been lost in recent years. The main cause of this habitat loss is deforestation, driven by unsustainable development and agriculture. You can help by looking for the FSC logo when buying wood, paper and cardboard products. This ensures the products have come from sustainably managed forests, helping to minimise your impact on the world's forests.
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A place in London like no other, with trees filled with monkeys, snoozing sloths and bats flying overhead! Be transported to the Amazon rainforest and find out why it's one our most popular spots!
