Smallest monkey in the world Pygmy marmoset
High in the South American rainforest lives a small monkey. He dodges behind tree trunks and branches, jumping and running, like a squirrel. He also has brown fur and a long tail like a squirrel - but he's a pygmy marmoset, the smallest monkey in the world!
Marmosets and their cousins, tamarins, are some of the smallest primates in existence. An adult pygmy marmoset could fit in the hand of an adult human and weighs as much as a stick of butter. But there's nothing tiny about a pygmy marmoset's tail: it's longer than its body. The tail is not prehensile, but it helps the little monkey maintain balance as it gallops through the treetops. Both male and female pygmy marmosets are orange-brown. Its coat has stripes of brown and black. This coloring gives them good camouflage. A mane covers the pygmy marmoset's ears. Most primates have flat fingernails, along with opposable thumbs that allow them to grasp objects. The pygmy marmoset's claws are like claws to help them climb up and down tree trunks. They don't have opposable thumbs. Pygmy marmosets live in the Amazon region of Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and northern Bolivia. They make their home and live in forest trees or bamboo thickets near or along rivers and floodplains. Pygmy marmosets prefer to live in dense tropical forests, where there are many hiding places among the plants. Each marmoset group has a small home range of less than half an acre. They feed on only a few trees. Because they are so small, pygmy marmosets can become prey for cats, harpy eagles, hawks and snakes. The ability to climb is important for pygmy marmosets, as tree sap is their favorite food. Pygmy marmosets live in extended families, called troops, of up to nine monkeys, but with an average of five members. Usually, the troop has a breeding pair, the parents stay together for life. Living in a group is useful for pygmy marmosets. There are more pairs of eyes to detect predators, and they all help take care of the young. For greater security, the troop spends the night among thick vines or in a tree hole. The gestation period of a female pygmy marmoset is about 4 and a half months and she can give birth every 5 to 7 months. She almost always has two young, but in zoos, pygmy marmosets have had three or even four babies in a litter.
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