The Golden Lion Tamarin

The golden lion tamarin, or Leontopithecus rosalia, is an omnivore that has sharp, claw-like nails. These nails help the golden lion tamarin to navigate trees easily. These tamarins live in the Amazon Rainforest of southeastern Brazil. They get their name from their beautiful manes—thick rings of long, silky hair, ranging in color from pale blond to reddish gold, with occasional orange or brown hair like lions. Its golden hair surrounds a black face and covers its small body and tail. Despite their name, these tamarins much more in common with their monkey relatives than any cat. The paws and tail of the golden lion tamarin are often slightly black in color, and their ears ar big. According to https://www.nationalgeographic.com golden lion tamarins grow to be about 15 years old, reaching a size of 8 inches tall with a 12 inch, non-prehensile tail. They only weigh about 14-29 ounces. Sadly, there are only about 1,000 of these beautiful animals left in the world, according to https://a-z-animals.com.

The golden lion tamarin forms social family groups. Males help raise their children and often carry their young on their backs in between meals. Tamarin children are usually twins. These tamarins share food with their family groups, but rarely share food with others outside their family. Golden lion tamarins live in the trees and sleep in hollows at night and forage (look for food) at day by traveling from branch to branch.

Golden lion tamarins live in humid forests with many vines, bromeliads, and other epiphytes. They generally stay 10 to 30 meters off the ground. These tamarins are territorial and protect their area with scent markings and vocal threats. Signs of aggression are an open mouth, and staring, says nationalzoo.si.edu. Golden lion tamarins eat fruits, insects, and small invertebrates. Any smaller animal is possible food. They use their long, slender fingers and hands to probe into crevices, bark, bromeliads and other hiding places for their prey.