Buffy-tufted Marmoset

• Common Name: Buffy-tufted Marmoset
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1812
• Monkey Size: 14 to 19 cm (5.5 to 7.5 in)
• Skin Color(s): Gray-black
• Habitat: Forest, rainforest
• Diet: Carnivorous
• Native Countries: Brazil

The buffy-tufted marmoset^[1], also called the white-eared marmoset or buffy-tufted-ear marmoset is a New World monkey living in the forests of the Atlantic coast of southeastern Brazil.

• Marmosets are generally characterized by their small size, modified claws (instead of fingernails), and two molars.
• These Brazilian primates don’t have a prehensile tail. Instead, buffy-tufted-ear marmosets have hairy faces and powdery black fur covering their entire bodies.
• Buffy-tufted marmosets have a short snout with a flat nose, round yellow eyes, and a drooping mouth that suggests perpetual discontent.
• A blaze of orange-red hair covers their head, while long white tufts protrude from the ears (hence its nickname “ buffy-tufted ear“).
• These New-World Monkeys have long fingers with claws instead of nails covered in dusty yellow-orange fur.

The Buffy-tufted Marmoset’s diet includes Fustictree (Maclura tinctoria) and Climbing Cactus (Epiphyllum phyllanthus)^[¶].

• Unlike most marmoset monkeys, buffy-tufted-ear marmosets are mainly insectivorous, although their diet is generally carnivorous.
• Due to their small size and distinctive coloration, they are difficult to spot and observe, and their behavior is poorly understood.
• Marmosets wake up 30 minutes after sunrise and eat intensely for an hour. The rest of the day is spent resting, socializing, and feeding.
• Buffy-tufted-ear marmoset monkeys live in fluid groups of 4 to 15 individuals. The group’s composition can include several men/several women, one man/several women, or a group of women/several men.
• For long-range vocalizations, these primates emit staccato, repeating “tsiks” (short calls) or alarm calls to warn other group members.