Description: Long and silky mane on shoulders. The face is rather flat. Longer arms than other tamarins. The fur is golden, reddish or buff over the entire body.

Range/Habitat: This tamarin lives in the lowland rain forests in southeastern Brazil. In the states of Bahia, Espirito Santo, Guanabara, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil.

Courtship/Gestation/Birth: A seasonal breeder. Brazil births occur from September to March, the wettest and warmest period. Gestation averages 128 days. Most births are twins, sometimes singles or tiplets. Sexual maturity is reached by the males at 24 months, females at 18 months. Within days of birth the father takes the infant. Mother takes the infant back only to nurse.

Diet: Primarily insectivorous or frugivorous. They also eat spiders, snails, small lizards, eggs and small birds. At zoos they eat monkey chow, fruits and vegetables.

Remarks: The Golden Lion Tamarin is diurnal. They spend their time in trees 10 to 30 feet from the ground. They sleep at night in tree holes or vines. They leap from branch to branch with agility. Spend much time social grooming. Live in family groups of 2 to 8. Will make temporary associations of 15 or 16 animals. Adults of the same sex are extremely aggressive with each other. They have 17 different vocalizations, including trilling (solo activity), clucking(when they forage), and whining(when they wan contact with another tamarin).
Their lifespan can be 15 years or more.

Status: The golden lion tamarin is the most severely endangered primate in the world. Because the golden lion tamarin is so beautiful, humans capture them for pets. Their natural habitat has been almost wiped out. In 1973, there were an estimated 400 golden lion tamarins living in the wild. The Metro Washington Park Zoo has joined a worldwide effort to save the golden lion tamarin from extinction. Zoos are now successfully breeding the animals and reintroducing them into the wild.

Lemurs and Tamarins Exhibit

Virtual Tour

Henson Robinson Zoo Homepage