Unusual Creatures of Guyana
The Golden-Handed Tamarin Monkey ( Saguinus midas )
Kaieteur News
April 22, 2007
Classified as among the smallest monkeys in the world the Golden-Handed Tamarin can be found in their numbers in the forested canopy of the Kanukus.
These intriguing creatures can be found all over South America especially in Brazil , French Guiana , Suriname and Peru since they cannot survive in places which are too cold.
They are often spotted just about 20 feet above the ground sometimes travelling through the canopy layer. And in order for them to live there must be a good source of water.
There are about fourteen species of Tamarins and about ten of these are endangered, but according to research, there are only about 3,000 left of those that are not endangered.
Tamarins are characterised by their long limbs and tail for climbing, their specially designed teeth for extracting gum from trees, long hands and fingers for foraging in holes, and their two middle fingers which are webbed to help them grasp on to trees after long leaps.
And because of their unique traits some scientists have labelled them as manipulative foragers.
A typical Tamarin stands only 130 mm tall, they generally weigh about 450 grams and their tails can grow up to 150 mm long.
Their tails are like an extra hand since they can grab things just like their hands which have rather sharp claws.
This creature's face, head, chest, belly, limbs and tail are all black in colour with a grizzled mix of black and yellow on their backs. Their hands and feet are a bright orangish-yellow contrasting sharply with the colour of the limbs.
The faces are always sparsely furred or naked and their pelage (fur) is very soft and silky.
They are said to have specialised scent glands in the middle of their chest and around their genitalia (reproductive organs). Scientists have also been able to discover that these creatures can utilise their secretions to mark their territory and convey information about identity, status and sexual receptivity of individuals.
And they are considered diurnal since they are only active by day.
They usually live in cooperative groups of four to 15 consisting of mixed ages and sexes with little competition among breeding males.
Only one female among a group will breed during breeding season with the other females suppressing their instinct. The gestation period is 140-170 days and mothers typically give birth to two offspring.
Young Tamarins are cared for primarily by the father and turned over to the mother only to nurse, however the entire group help in this process.
Defence is a priority in a group, and when one Tamarin is threatened the others will rush to its assistance.
They are very territorial and can be aggressive using their sharp canines and claws.
With their exceptional climbing ability, Tamarins spend most of the time among the vines and branches of the trees. They are quick and agile and are superb jumpers known to jump distances of over 60 feet from a tree to the ground with no sign of injury.
They communicate with each other with very high pitched squeaky calls as well as chirps and clicks and are also said to practice mutual grooming as a way of communicating.
And they are considered Omnivores since their diets consist mostly of sweet fruits, berries, insects, small vertebrates, birds' eggs, leaves, gum, resin, nectar, spiders and seeds.
They are able to kill prey with a single bite to the head.
But these extraordinary creatures are rarely hunted or kept as pets because of their small size and their rapid movement however the destruction of tropical rainforests threatens their habitat which inevitably will threaten their very survival.