Mottle-Faced Tamarin Monkey

Facts about Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey. "Scientific name for Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey is Saguinus inustus". The Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey are found in Brazil and Colombia. The Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey are known for their mottled face and are closely related to the marmoset monkeys. The Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey get their name from the mottled face which means that their faces have spots.

The Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey have similar characteristics with other Tamarins, since they belong to the same family of callitrichidae and genus saguinus.

The Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey toes have claws apart from the big digits that have nails. They are believed to be around 20 cm (7.87 inches) long and weigh 350 grams (0.77 oz). The Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey faces look as if it is bare and their backs are black brownish and general color is black. Either side of the jaw has two molar teeth.

The Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey are social animals that live in a group of 3 to 15 members with one breeding female and unrelated male. Their family may have related or unrelated members. Only the breeding female Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey is allowed to breed and others are treated like helpers.

Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey are believed to be either monogamous, polygyny or polyandry. In this case females can have many mating partners though there are some studies that have reported cases of monogamous. The monogamous state is not very possible in the wild since there are competitions among the males who always look for ways to mate the breeding female.

Not much is known about their gestation period, but it is believed to be around 4 to 6 months. Mottle-Faced tamarin monkeys give birth to twins. There are some other instances that three infants have been reported though it is not common. This again is a common characteristic among all Tamarins.

Once the offspring are born the Mottle-Faced tamarin monkeys are known for their generosity where they share food and take care of the young ones as a group. But in most cases the fathers are not seen sharing the food. One thing that the males do willingly is carrying them around. But even the older female Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey of the group can carry them as well as other members. But the young ones prefer to be carried by their parents.

The infant Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey depend on their mother’s milk for the first 4 weeks and later they are introduced to solid foods. Since at this moment they are too small to look for food on their own, the responsibility of feeding them is left to the adults. The mother mostly nurses the babies ensuring that they have enough to eat.

If predated the Mottle-Faced tamarin monkeys defend each other willingly. Their worse enemies are birds of prey, cats and reptiles. Clearing of the forests by humans has also been a threat to the Mottle-Faced tamarin monkeys. This leave them with nowhere to stay.

Mottle-faced Tamarins Monkeys are diurnal. This means that they are very active during the day and sleeps over at night. The Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey can be seen climbing and jumping from one tree to another. At night they retire on top of their trees to sleep.

The Mottle-Faced tamarin monkey are omnivorous animals meaning they eat plants and animals. Their diets consist of insects, fruits, nectar, reptiles, lizards and green plants. It is always good for them to take food that has high energy because of their small bodies.