White Headed Marmoset

Kingdom Order Family Genus Species
Animalia Primates Callitrichidae Callithrix Callithrix geoffroyi
Geoffroy's marmoset
IUCN Status: Least-Concern
  • Common Name: Geoffroy’s marmoset
  • Taxonomy Classification Year: 1812
  • Monkey Size: 19.8 to 19.8 cm (7.80 to 7.80 in)
  • Skin Color(s): Dark or blackish brown
  • Habitat: Rainforest
  • Diet: Omnivorous
  • Native Countries: Brazil

Geoffroy’s marmoset Distribution

White-Headed Marmoset Characteristics

White Headed Marmoset

The Geoffroy’s marmoset[1], also called Geoffrey’s marmoset, white-headed marmoset, or tufted-ear marmoset is a marmoset native to the forests of eastern Brazil, where it is native to Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, and Bahia.

  • Geoffroy’s marmosets are small primates, only around 20 cm long, with a tail of around 29 cm.
  • Females typically weigh around 190 grams, while males weigh between 230 and 350 grams.
  • The body is usually blackish or dark brown. The tail is surrounded by black and gray bands.
  • Adults have white foreheads, temples, cheeks, and throats. Also, adults have black tufts of hair in front of their ears.
  • Juveniles differ from adults because they lack both ear tufts and white markings on the face.
  • Instead, juveniles grow their ear tufts at around two weeks and have full adult markings by five months.

What Do Geoffroy’s marmosets Eat?

What Do White-headed Marmosets Eat? Black mulberries

The Geoffroy’s marmoset nourishes on Abas (Psidium guajava), Brazilian Pepper-Tree (Schinusus terebinthifolius), Black Mulberry (Morus nigra) and Strawberry tree (Muntingia calabura)[¶].

White-Headed Marmoset Facts

Callithrix Geoffroyi

  • The dominant female and male in each group of Geoffroy’s marmosets form a monogamous pair. Therefore, only this pair will reproduce.
  • Pre-copulatory courtship typically begins with sniffing each other’s genitals and object marking, grooming, licking, and cuddling.
  • Geoffroy’s marmosets are said to follow swarms of army ants to catch insects expelled by the ants.
  • They send out alarm calls when they sense a threat. Also, they have observed scent marking.
  • Groups of Geoffroy’s marmosets respond to predator threats by increasing vigilance rates and decreasing rates of foraging and play.

Suggested Reading: Monkeys of The World

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BioExplorer.net. (2024, March 28). White-Headed Marmoset. Bio Explorer. https://www.bioexplorer.net/animals/mammals/monkeys/white-headed-marmoset/.
BioExplorer.net. "White-Headed Marmoset" Bio Explorer, 28 March 2024, https://www.bioexplorer.net/animals/mammals/monkeys/white-headed-marmoset/.
BioExplorer.net. "White-Headed Marmoset" Bio Explorer, March 28 2024. https://www.bioexplorer.net/animals/mammals/monkeys/white-headed-marmoset/.
Key References
  • [1]“Geoffroy’s marmoset | Smithsonian’s National Zoo”. Accessed September 04, 2022. Link.
  • [¶] – Bello, C., Galetti, M., Montan, D., Pizo, M. A., Mariguela, T. C., Culot, L., Bufalo, F., Labecca, F., Pedrosa, F., Constantini, R., Emer, C., Silva, W. R., da Silva, F. R., Ovaskainen, O. and Jordano, P. (2017), Atlantic frugivory: a plant-frugivore interaction data set for the Atlantic Forest. Ecology, 98: 1729. doi:10.1002/ecy.1818. doi:10.1002/ecy.1818

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