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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing cotton-top tamarins. These monkeys are critically endangered. Cotton-top tamarins live in forested habitats of northwestern Columbia where they hang out from the forest floor to the forest canopy depending on the time of day. When this habitat is cut down and replaced with agricultural fields, these primates lose places to live. As more forest disappears, the monkeys go with it. It's worth noting, however, that these little tamarins are adaptable. While their populations are heavily reduced in the wild, it’s actually believed that cotton-top tamarins specifically have not gone extinct because they can handle some changes in their environment. They utilize edge habitats created by wood-cutting, though they still require enough tree coverage to survive. Full deforestation leads to devastation, but the cotton-top tamarin doesn’t mind sharing as long as some of the forest stays behind.

These simians live in family groups of typically fewer than a dozen individuals. They spend their nights nesting together high in the trees then wake up and bond over some social grooming. Then they head down the trees where they look for fruit, insects, and tree gum to dine on. Cotton-top tamarins most frequently forage on their own, though still within communication range of their family members. Periodically throughout the day, the group comes back together to rest and brush each other's fur. The hot afternoon is when they take their longest break during the day, and as the sun sets they head back up to the treetops for the night, choosing a different nest than the previous evening. These squirrel-sized monkeys are likely diurnal to help them avoid nocturnal predators. 

In the wild, cotton-top tamarins can live to be at least a decade old. They compete with other animals like squirrels, fruit-eating bats, birds, and other monkeys, but they're generally able to find what they need with their diverse diet. These primates get their common name from the fluffy white mane of hair that surrounds their nearly bald face. Males and females look the same, and on average they weigh just under a pound (454g), so, yes, they're much smaller than a cat. In fact, a few of these mammals could likely ride on Chester's back, if he allowed it, of course.

It wouldn't be surprising for these monkeys to take up the offer of a piggyback ride because they do exactly this as babies. After an approximately six months gestation period, mother cotton-top tamarins almost exclusively give birth to non-identical twins (though triplets and single babies do occur). This is where having a helpful family comes in handy. Mom carries one baby, while Dad carries the other, and if they ever need any assistance, their offspring from the previous year are there to help with their younger siblings. It takes almost two years before the juveniles leave their natal range and start their own families, typically not moving far from home and often traveling in small groups.

Fascinatingly, cotton-top tamarin tails are not prehensile. You might think that any animal that spends most of its time hanging out in trees would use its tail as a fifth limb for grabbing, but not these monkeys! They do, however, have squirrel-like nails for clinging to trees. Humans have flat nails, like many other primates, but tamarins, the cotton-top included, have claw-like nails - just like a squirrel!

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