Habitat: mid to upper canopy areas of untouched (primary) tropical rainforests; lowland and coastal rainforest

Range: south-east Brazil

Natural Diet: insects/spiders, snails, small lizards, small birds and eggs and fruit

Status in the wild: Endangered

Animal Facts

Golden-lion tamarins are named for their golden red manes reminiscent of
male African lions. Unlike the big cats, however, the color of these small
New World Monkeys is probably the result of their carotenoid-rich diet.
This species of tamarin has a very complex social structure, and family
groups have as many as 8 individuals that remain active for 12 hours a day.

Conservation: habitat fragmentation is the biggest threat to wild Golden-lion tamarin populations, which is estimated to be between 1 and 2 thousand individuals. Only 5 percent of original Golden-lion tamarin habitat remains today.

To learn more about field efforts to conserve wild populations of golden-lion tamarins, click here

Learn more about conserving wildlife through conservation breeding