Moustached Tamarin Monkeys

Facts about Moustached Tamarin monkey. "Scientific name for Moustached tamarin monkeys is Saguinus Imperator". Moustached tamarin monkeys are distributed in rainforests of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia. They are black in color with a white moustache, white nose and a brownish back. The Moustached Tamarin monkey belong to the family of Callitrichidae and the genus of saguinus. They have a small body with a long thin tail.

Just like other tamarins the Moustached Tamarin monkey have claws on the toes and fingers apart from the big toe which has a nail. Apart from the white moustache, they have black chins that are also visible. Around their ears there are white hairs and a mixture of reddish orange hairs on the chest.

Moustached Tamarin Monkeys are diurnal meaning they are active during the day and sleep at night. Mostly they sleep on top of the trees where they spend their day climbing from one tree to another.

The Moustached Tamarin monkey are social animals and this is proven by the fact that they stay in groups. The Moustached Tamarin monkey can be seen in a group of 2 to 8 individuals with a breeding male and female. Their group is led by the eldest female member assisted by her mate. They love interacting with members of other groups.

It is believed that the female Moustached Tamarin monkey are more aggressive when it comes to looking for food. Though the males have the same equal abilities, the females are the ones that bring food most of the time.

The Moustached Tamarin Monkeys are omnivorous animals meaning that they feed on plants and animals. Their major diets consist of green plants, fruits, small rodents and insects. The Moustached Tamarin monkey can also feed on eggs, flowers and tree saps. But their favorite diets are fruits. They get this from their habitats which have dense vegetation.

The Moustached Tamarin Monkeys small size just like most of the Tamarins is a disadvantage. They are thus preyed by wild cats, dogs, snakes, birds of prey. The Moustached Tamarin monkey face challenges like destroying of their natural habitats by humans. In fact they are in the list of the endangered tamarins which are decreasing by the day.

The Moustached Tamarin Monkeys breeding season starts between April and July. But this depends on the availability of food because most births are seen in wet seasons. The gestation period lasts from four to six months. Moustached Tamarin Monkeys practice polyandry where a female has several mates though monogamous relationships have been reported.

Moustached Tamarin Monkeys between 9 to 10 1/2 inches (22.8 to 26.6 cm) in body length with a tail length of around 15 inches (38.1cm). The Moustached Tamarin monkey are very light animals weighing only about 10 to 14 ounces (.28 to .39 kg) full grown. Moustached Tamarin Monkey females can give birth to twins which is a bit tedious for the parents. This is why after birth the care is subdivided among the group members. Though the male Moustached Tamarin monkey spend most of the time taking care of the infants, every member has a role to play. The mother will go foraging thus making sure that they have enough to eat. The helpers help around in carrying the young ones.

Before then, the infant depends on the mother’s milk for the first two months. Later they are weaned and they mostly become mobile from the second to the fifth week. At around 10 – 18 weeks the Moustached Tamarin monkey become independent which means they can be able to feed on their own. At two years of age, the Moustached Tamarin Monkeys are sexually active.

When the Moustached Tamarin monkey get sexual maturity they move out to form their own group. Monkey meaning (any mammal of the order Primates), this includes the macaques, capuchins, guenons and langurs, this excludes humans, the anthropoid apes, and, usually, the prosimians and tarsier.