Pygmy Marmoset

• Common Name: Pygmy Marmoset
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1823
• Monkey Size: 11.7 to 15.2 mm (4.6 to 6.0 in)
• Skin Color(s): Brownish-gold, gray, and black
• Habitat: Rainforest
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Native Countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

The pygmy marmoset^[1], genus Cebuella, is a small genus of New-World monkeys endemic to the Tropical Rainforests of the western Amazon Basin in South America.

• A fawn and gray fur coat are identified by a yellow, green, and/or black tick on the head and back.
• The babies initially have a gray head and yellow fur covered with black spots but show the adult pattern during the first month of life.
• Although pygmy marmosets are not considered sexually dimorphic, females are slightly larger than males.
• Longer hair around the face and neck gives Cebuella pygmaea the appearance of a lion’s mane. The front legs are smaller than the hind legs, and the toes have claws called tegulae.
• The average adult tail, usually marked with black bands, is about 20 cm long. Similar eastern and western subspecies are challenging to tell apart but sometimes show different ventral hair colors.

• At just over 100 grams (3.5 ounces), the pygmy marmoset is the smallest monkey and one of the smallest primates in the world.
• Individuals are known to groom each other, probably as bonding.
• Pygmy marmosets are also highly territorial, using scent glands to mark territories of up to 100 hectares.
• Social activities are prominent between two feeding peaks, one upon waking and the other in the late afternoon, leading to withdrawal to the roost.
• Pygmy marmosets select roosting sites near their food source at this time, with all group members waking up and leaving shortly after sunrise.