Black Tufted-ear Marmoset
Callithrix kuhlii

Habitat: tropical forest canopy

Range: south Central Brazil

Natural Diet: fruits, nectar, sap, insects, eggs, small reptiles

Status in the Wild: Near Threatened

 

Animal Facts

Also known as the Wied’s Black-tufted-eared Marmosets, these monkeys are black in color, with white cheek and forehead patches, and tufted ears. They are remarkably small monkeys being 8 to 10 inches in length. Unlike other marmosets, the Kuhls Marmosets live in groups that consist of 5 to 10 individuals. They are highly social with distinctive calls. In each group, one female, usually the dominant one, breeds during a breeding season. All members of a social group help in taking care of the young that includes carrying, protecting and feeding them.

Conservation: anthropogenic disturbances such as conversion of rainforest habitat into plantations and cattle ranches have caused habitat loss and fragmentation. This has had an adverse effect of free-ranging populations.