Golden Lion Tamarin

• Common Name: Golden Lion Tamarin
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1766
• Monkey Size: 20 to 36.6 cm long (8 to 13in)
• Skin Color(s): Bright orange
• Habitat: Rainforest
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Native Countries: Brazil

The golden lion tamarin^[1] (Leontopithecus rosalia), also called the golden tamarin, is a small New World primate in the Callitrichidae family.

• They have small round heads adorned with a thick golden mane on the crown, cheeks, ears, throat, and shoulders.
• Their hairless faces are flat with widely spaced nostrils. Their bodies are draped in long, soft, silky fur ranging in color from pale gold to rich red gold.
• An interesting feature is that these monkeys have claws, not flattened nails.
• The golden lion tamarin is 200 to 366 mm (8 to 13 in) long with a tail length of 315 to 400 mm (12 to 15 in).
• There is no sexual dimorphism in Golden lion tamarins.

Being omnivorous, the Golden Lion Tamarin diet includes but not limited to^[¶]:

• Ambay Pumpwood (Cecropia pachystachya).
• Pois Doux (Inga thibaudiana).
• Icecream bean (Inga edulis).
• Johnny berry (miconia)
• Wild Balata (Micropholis guyanensis).
• Forest Snakevine (Hyperbaena domingensis).
• Punchberry (Myrcia splendens)

• The golden lion tamarin derives its name from its vivid reddish-orange coat and extra-long hair around its face and ears, giving it a distinctive mane.
• Like most New World Monkeys, the golden lion tamarin has tegulae, claw-like nails, rather than the flat nails or ungulate found in other primates, including humans.
• By moving their sleeping nests around frequently, groups reduce the scent they leave behind and minimize the chances of predators finding them.
• Groups of these tamarin species use hollow tree cavities, thick tendrils, or epiphytes as roosting places.
• The golden lion tamarin tends to be active earlier during the hotter and wetter seasons and retire later as the days are longer.