Golden lion tamarin

Golden Lion Tamarin ( Leontopithecus rosalia )

The Golden Lion Tamarin ( Leontopithecus rosalia, also called Yellow Gold Lion Tamarin ) is a primate of the family of marmosets ( Callitrichidae ).

Features

Golden lion tamarins reach a body length between 26 and 33 centimeters, which must be added a 32 to 40 centimeters long tail comes. Your weight is about 570-620 grams. Her silky coat color is predominantly golden yellow, the front paws and the tail can be brown or black. The dark, hairless face is surrounded by a mane. As with all marmosets forming the fingers and toes, with the exception of the first toe of the hind paws in the claws.

Distribution and habitat

Golden lion tamarins are limited, like all tamarins on the south-eastern Brazil. Today they are only present in a small area in the state of Rio de Janeiro, formerly her distribution area also covering Espírito Santo. They live in tropical rain forests, usually below 300 meters above sea level.

Lifestyle and diet

These primates are diurnal and arboreal, at night they sleep in tree hollows or among the lush vegetation. They live in groups of two to eleven animals, there are usually family groups, but which may contain several males and females. The social behavior within the group is strong, mutual grooming and sharing food play an important role. Groups live in compact territories of 30 to 60 hectares.

Golden lion tamarins are omnivorous. They feed on fruits, flowers, insects, small vertebrates (eg lizards ), nectar and bird eggs.

Reproduction

Within a group, always propagates only the highest-ranking females. After about four months of gestation, the female gives birth to usually give birth to twins. The father and the other group members participate actively in the rearing of the young, they carry them around, deal with them and given them the only mother to suckle.

From the fifth week of life, the young are increasingly independent, with four months they are weaned. Sexual maturity occurs at 15 to 20 months, because of the social structure is the first pairing but rarely before the 30th month instead. The life expectancy is about 14 years.

Threat

Like all four types of lion tamarin is the golden lion tamarin threatened in its existence, since it is found only in the Southeast Brazilian rainforests, which have been hit hard by deforestation affected. When Golden Lion Tamarin, however, show breeding and re resettlement programs first successes. The total population is estimated at about 1,000 animals in the wild, this comes from a third re resettlement program in the Poco - the - Antas Nature Park. Around 500 more animals are kept in human captivity. However, their range is fragmented and severely limited by urban sprawl, so that the IUCN lists the species as endangered ( "endangered ").