To celebrate the fact that it is already Thursday (is this week flying by for anyone else?) we are going for a nice visit to the Neo-tropical forests of the Brazilian Central Plateau. What are we looking for once we get to these beautiful forests? Well the Black Tufted Marmoset, of course! Although, feel free to look around and see what else you can find in this diverse landscape. You may want to bring a little neck massager with you for this trip since this particular New World Monkey likes to live high up in the trees, so you will definitely have a sore neck by the time you are finished observing these primates.
A Fashion Statement
So what is a Black Tufted Marmoset? Well, they are New World Monkey’s that have an average length between 19 and 22 cm (7.5 – 8.6″) and weigh a whopping 350 grams (12.3 oz), so they are not the largest animals in the forest. They typically have a brown or black head, characterized by the black tufts around their ears (hence the name), while their body is usually a greyish colour. Finally, they have a beautiful black and white ringed tail that is used mostly for balance since it isn’t a prehensile tail so they can’t grip branches with it.
The Power of Claws
How does a monkey without a prehensile tail manage to live high up in the tree canopy? Well, they are an agile species that happens to have claw-like nails, which are pretty good at gripping. Unfortunately, they are lacking an opposable thumb so they won’t be very good at playing video games or any other activities requiring the use of a thumb. Nobody said being a Black Tufted Marmoset would be easy!
I Tawt I Taw a Marmotet
Speaking of a tough life, these little monkey’s need to be constantly scanning the skies for large birds of prey. They really don’t have much of a defence mechanism other than looking over their shoulder and communicating with other Marmosets if a predator happens to wander into their area. I guess if those were my only lines of defence, I would be hiding in the trees all day as well. Although, the Black Tufted Marmoset mostly feeds on tree sap, in times of severe drought they have been known to become a predator themselves, typically feeding on arthropods, baby birds and bird eggs. I personally have a tough time picturing this cute, little monkey feasting on a poor innocent bird. I guess you do what you have to do when the times get tough. You have to love the survival instincts of wild animals.
