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Range and Habitat: Found only in northwestern Columbia, from the eastern bank of the Atrato River to the western bank of the Cauca and lower Magdalena Rivers, bounded by the Columbian Caribbean coast to the north. Inhabit tropical rainforests and secondary forests. The original forest types in its range include wet tropical forest in the west (Choco), moist forest in the Andes and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and dry thorn forest savanna in the northern coastal plain.
Columbia is one of the most biologically diverse countries, second only to Brazil in overall numbers of plants and animal species. It is one seveth the size of Brazil so it harbors greater concentrations of species per unit area than any other county on the planet. Forest destruction is one of the biggest threats to Columbian biodiversity.
Conservation Notes/Status: Listed in Appendix I of CITES and as endangered by the IUCN from the destruction of their habitat and capture for the pet trade. During the 1960’s and 1970’s the Cotton-top tamarin was threatened by its heavy use in biomedical research. In1973 exportation was banded. There are only 2-3000 in the wild and are continuing to decline.
Behavior: They have acute eye sight, good hearing and good sense of smell. Emotions are expressed by rapidly flicking the tongue out of its mouth and across the lips. Seventeen types of vocalizations have been identified, grouped into several classes-trills (for solo activity), clucks (for foraging), long calls (for vigilance), and whines (for contact).
They lick leaves wet with rain or dew to obtain moisture, rather than exposing themselves to predation by descending to the ground to find water
They are diurnal, sheltering at night in tree holes and cavities or occasionally in vines or epiphytes. Most of their time is spent in trees or shrubs. They walk or run quadrupedally and are capable of leaping rapidly from tree to tree. Leaping distances of 10 feet have been recorded.
They engage in individual and mutual grooming. They live in small family groups of 3-9 individuals. The basic group consists of a mated pair plus their young of one or more years. There may also be transient individuals, probably young animals of both sexes. These subordinates sometimes form small groups of their own within the home range of the main group. They enter and leave the main group and possibly remain and rise to breeding position. The home ranges of adjacent groups overlap. Defense of an area is associated with its importance as a feeding sight. Females are more likely to disperse from the natal group than are males, in contrast to the pattern found for most other primates.
Females have highly developed anogenital and suprapubic scent glands that are larger and more highly developed than the males. The use of these glands differ between males and females also.
Diet: Omnivorous, feeding on primarily insects, fruits, new leaves and buds, small lizards and plant exudates. They use their long fingers to probe under bark and in crevices for insects.
Reproduction: The dominant adult male and female of a group form a permanent pair bond, are equal in rank and share responsibility for raising the young. The dominant female may inhibit reproductive activity in other females of the group through chemical means. This results in a more flexible mating system and in some groups there is mating by more than one female. Saguinus is a seasonal breeder giving birth from January to June, the warmest and wettest period of the year in Brazil. In captivity births occur each monthof the year. Females give birth to 1-2 young after a gestation period of 140 days. The young are fully furred with their eyes open. The father and older siblings assist in rearing the infants by caring them on their backs. The mother carries them only to nurse and then gives them back to the father or older siblings. Weaning is complete at 8-10 weeks. Sexual maturity is attained at18 months for females and 24 months for males. Longevity in captivity is 15 years or longer with one recorded to have lived for nearly 25 years.
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