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San Joaquin County Parks & Recreation

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Cotton-top Tamarin
(Saguinus oedipus)

Cotton-top TamarinHabitat: lowland tropical rainforest
Range: Northwest Columbia
Natural Diet: fruit, insects, seeds, flowers, tree sap, small mammals, birds and reptiles

Status In The Wild:  
Critically endangered

Atlas

Fun Animal Facts

While most primates have nails, tamarins and marmosets (members of the family Callithticidae) have claws that assist in grasping branches and small prey. Cotton-top tamarins lick leaves wet with rain or dew to obtain moisture., rather than exposing themselves to predation by descending to the ground. Both parents share in care of the young, with the male carrying offspring most of the time. Tamarins are endangered due to deforestation, collection for the pet trade and biomedical research.