Golden Lion Tamarin
Lion tamarins are unusual creatures. For some of you who have never seen or heard of these animals you might think that we are referring to acctual lions. These creatures look much like monkeys or at least a form of monkeys. Lion tamarins have a mane that extends from long hairs that are on the top of their heads, cheeks, and throats. They are mainly golden with orange, brown, and black colorations that can be found on the tail and forepaws. They usually weigh up to 1.1 lb.
The golden lion tamarin prefers primary lowland tropical forest from sea level to 1000 m (3300′). Golden lion tamarins are omnivorous, feeding on fruits, gum, nectar, insects, and small vertebrates. The golden lion tamarin is diurnal and predominantly arboreal. It is usually found at heights of 3 - 10 m (10 - 30′) above the forest floor. It sleeps there at night in tangled vegetation or, more often, in a hole in a tree, such as an abandoned woodpecker nest.
Most golden lion tamarins live in reproductive groups that occupy stable territories. The average number of individuals/group in one study was 5.4. In the wild, groups usually consist of one breeding adult of each sex and younger animals. Golden lion tamarins are cooperative breeders: all adult members of a group help to carry and feed the offspring of the group, with the adult male commonly doing the largest share. The mother only takes the babies to nurse them.
More than 90% of the original Atlantic coastal forest, which contains the golden lion tamarin’s habitat, has been lost to obtain lumber and charcoal and to clear out areas for plantations, cattle pasture, and development. Capture for zoos and private collections also contributed to its decline in the past. The golden lion tamarin is still under severe threat from continued deforestation, much of which is undertaken to create weekend beach properties. Less than 2% of the forest remains in the region where the golden lion tamarin lives.
Recently, predation became a serious problem in some areas. Golden lion tamarins in the Poco das Antas Reserve have always been taken by predators such as hawks, owls, boa constrictors and small cats. In most cases, the golden lion tamarin group loses 1 or 2 individuals. However, in the late 1990’s, a predator learned how to get into a tamarin group’s tree den at night and kill a number of members of the group, or even the entire group. For a while the identity of the predator was not known. It is now believed that it may be the tayra (Eira barbara), a small weasel-type of animal, that has learned to dig tamarins out of their nest holes where they rest at night.