Pygmy Marmoset

Quick Facts!                                                                    

1. Pygmy marmoset is the smallest monkey alive! They are only about 4 to 6 inches long not including their tail, which is about 6 to 9 inches long (San Diego Zoo, 2013).

2. Nicknames for pygmy marmosets include pocket monkey and little lion (A-Z Animals, 2013).

3. Pygmy marmosets are one of the only primates that lack opposable thumbs ( San Diego Zoo, 2013).

4. Pygmy marmosets almost exclusively live off of gum and sap from trees ( Philadelphia Zoo, 2013).

5. Roughly 1/3 of the time that pygmy marmosets are awake is spent searching and feeding on exudates (Townsend, 2001).

6. Pygmy marmosets are able to jump more than 16 feet (Nature, 2013).

7. Pygmy marmosets give birth to fraternal twins at a much higher rate than other primates. About 70% of births are to twins while most primates have only one infant at a time (Nature, 2013).

8. Female pygmy marmosets are 12% heavier than their male counterparts (Townsend, 2001).

9. A pygmy marmoset's whiskers are keener and more numerous than other monkeys' (Townsend, 2001).

10. Pygmy marmosets often communicate by vocalizations, which include trill, J-call, and the long call (Snowdon & de la Torre, 2002).

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