Midas Tamarin

• Common Name: Midas Tamarin
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1758
• Monkey Size: 20.5 to 28 cm (8.1 to 11.0 in)
• Skin Color(s): Dark brown or black
• Habitat: Rainforest
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Native Countries: Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, Venezuela

The Midas tamarin^[1] (Saguinus midas), also called the red-handed tamarin or golden-handed tamarin is a New-World monkey in the Callitrichidae family.

• Mida tamarin exhibits no apparent sexual dimorphism. The face is black with long hair.
• However, it lacks the whitish fur around its mouth characteristic of other common tamarins in the long-tusked tamarin group.
• The body is also black, except for the feet and hands, which are yellow or orange-red. The Midas tamarin is characterized by a flat snout, a stocky body, and large, human-like ears extending from its head’s sides.
• The thumbs are not opposable and therefore cannot be used to grab objects. Like many other non-primate mammals, it has claws instead of nails on all digits except the big toe.

• Midas tamarin is also known as golden tamarin or red-handed tamarin. This attests to the remarkably vivid colors of the feet and hands.
• It has an unusual appearance that looks almost like a cross between a squirrel and a monkey. Still, physically and socially, it’s a pure primate.
• This species can jump 60 feet from trees to the ground with no harm. This is because the tamarin’s joints act as shock absorbers, cushioning it from the force of the fall.
• They congregate in matriarchal societies with a single dominant female.
• The Midas monkey is a very cooperative and good-natured animal that shows almost no aggression towards other group members.