Pygmy Marmoset Profile

Age Pygmy marmosets live to be about 11 years old in the wild, with a maximum recorded lifespan of 18.6 years in a captive setting.

Body Type: Petite. An average female weighs about 4 oz (that’s a stick of butter!) with a body length of about 5½ inches if measured from head to rump. But at eight inches, the tail is over 1.5 times the body size in length! On average, males are only slightly larger than females, weighing about 0.2 oz (5 grams) more.

Sex Females usually begin reproducing about two months before they turn two years old, and males reach sexual maturity about a month earlier than do the females.

Relationship Status Most pygmy marmosets only have eyes for one snookum’ at a time. Monogamous family groups are the norm and are made up of one adult female, one adult male, and up to four litters of offspring.

Kiddos After a pregnancy lasting about four months, females give birth to two teeny, tiny marmoset babies. Females will generally produce two litters of offspring per year. Babies are weaned at three months old, but youngsters will remain with the family group until they reach sexual maturity. Males are active parents, toting around the infants most of the time.

Political Views Pygmy marmosets typically avoid aggression and fighting within their own family groups. However, parents will begin to reject their offspring once the youngsters have reached sexual maturity, and resident males will be hostile towards other males that attempt to mate with the group’s adult female. Intimidating gestures include brazen flashes of the genital region, threatening facial expressions, and angry chattering.  Pygmy marmosets also use scent marking to denote their dominance status.

Family Life Group numbers can range in size from solitary individuals to groups of 10 individuals or more. Groups will defend a small area until they have used up all the available resources, upon which time they will move to a new area. Marmosets are currently not at great risk of extinction, due to relatively large numbers in the wild and their ability to inhabit less than optimal habitat.

Home Town Found in the South American countries of Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru, where they prefer floodplain forests, bamboo thickets, and areas of secondary forest that house appropriate plant species for their dietary requirements.

Oogivore type Primarily gummivores, feeding on tree saps and gums of over 50 different tree and vine species. Pygmy marmosets will also eat nectar, fruit, and insects when available.

Interests Producing ultrasonic cries undetectable by the human ear, playing “freeze tag” as they move with stealth through their environment, boasting about their status as the world’s smallest living monkey.

We have Pygmy Marmoset plush at the Primarily Primate Shoppe!  Check out these little cuties!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 at 7:00 am and is filed under Primate Blog, Primate of the Hump Day.