Andean Saddle-back Tamarin

• Common Name: Andean Saddle-back Tamarin
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1866
• Monkey Size: 20.5 to 23 cm (8.1 to 9.1 inches)
• Skin Color(s): Bright orange, black, or white
• Habitat: Rainforest
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Native Countries: Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador

The Andean saddle tamarin^[1], also known as the saddleback tamarin (formerly known as the brown-mantled tamarin), is a New World monkey species.

• Their geographic range includes Southeastern Americans from Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador.
• Dense, dark fur covers this tiny New World monkey’s arms, shoulders, and torso.
• On its back, Mother Nature painted a patch of skin, interwoven yellow-orange stripes with patches of black hair, and created a speckled pattern called “agouti” (which gives the primate its “saddle“).
• Yellow-orange fur drapes the monkey’s hindquarters, and black fur adheres to its long tail and extends to the tip.
• Long, narrow hands, considered an adaptation, help the saddleback tamarin reach into small crevices and catch insects.
• Scalloped ears protrude from a small round head covered in black fur. The snout is flat and covered with white hairs or whiskers in some individuals. These white accents could also decorate the monkey’s forehead.

• Andean saddle tamarins are arboreal and diurnal, meaning they spend most of their time in the trees and are most active during the day.
• They are known to defend their territory against strangers; chases and fights may ensue.
• They aren’t the most loquacious of primates but rely on their little bag of vocalizations to send specific messages.
• The life expectancy of wild saddle tamarins is between 8 and 13 years. However, captive animals have a maximum lifespan of 24.9 years.
• Andean saddleback monkeys are considered “phyletic dwarfs, ” meaning their small size is related to their evolutionary development.