DESCRIPTION: The Cotton-top Tamarin (aka saguinus Oedipus), also known as the Cotton-headed Tamarin or the white-plumed bare-faced Tamarin, is a rather small, furry, monkey-like mammal that is identified by ecologists through the distinct lengthy, white hairs on their heads. According to the Primate Info Net Website, a reliable source that is run by the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center and maintained by the Lawrence Jacobsen Library staff (both located in the University of Wisconsin-Madison), “the average height of both males and females is 232 mm (9.13 in)”. In addition, they also state “wild males and females weigh between 410 and 450 g (14.5 and 15.9 oz) but average 416.5 g (14.7 oz), while captive cotton-top tamarins are significantly heavier and weigh, on average, 565.7 g (19.9 oz)” (Lang, 2005). …show more content…
They consist of a greyish-brown color on their shoulders and back, in addition to having white fur on their limbs and stomach (Lang, 2005). These primates are herbivores, meaning they eat predominantly plants and fruit. However, they have been known to hunt for insects, as well. The average lifespan of the cotton-top tamarin is about 23 years (in captivity) (Bridgeman, 2002). In addition, the cotton-top tamarin is known to be diurnal, similar to humans, meaning it sleeps at night and hunts in the early hours of the day. These mammals also occasionally sleep in groups. Their ‘mode of transport’ is usually “quadrupedal running, bounding, or galloping” along medium to small branches as well as clinging and leaping between trees on other types of branches (Lang, 2005). They spend most of their daily routines either foraging (e.g. hunting), travelling, and/or resting in safe