Animal Info - Cotton-top Tamarin
(Other Names: Bichichi; Cotton-headed, Crested, Geoffroy's or
Rufous-naped Tamarin; Tamarin: à Perruque, d'Oedipe, or Pinché; Titi, Titi
Blanco, Tití Cabeciblanco, Titi Cabeza Blanca, Titi Leoncito, Titi Pielroja)
Saguinus oedipus (S. o. oedipus)
Contents
1. Profile (Picture)
2. Tidbits
3. Status and Trends (IUCN Status, Countries Where
Currently Found, Population Estimates, History of Distribution, Threats and Reasons
for Decline)
4. Data on Biology and Ecology (Weight, Habitat, Age to Maturity, Gestation
Period, Birth Season, Birth Rate, Early Development, Dispersal, Maximum Age, Diet, Behavior
(Activity Patterns, Locomotion,
Sleeping),
Social Organization (Group Structure and
Composition, Inter-group Relations, Relations
between Individuals), Density and Range)
5. References
Profile
Pictures: Cotton-top
Tamarin #1 (37 Kb JPEG) (Project
Tamarin); Cotton-top
Tamarin #2 (111 Kb GIF) (AZA)
The cotton-top tamarin is a small monkey about the size of a squirrel.
It weighs less than 0.5 kg (1 lb). The species’ most distinguishing characteristics
are the crest and
mane on its head, both white. Its face is black, and its temples and the sides
of its head are covered with short silvery hairs. Its back is primarily black or brown, while the underparts
of the body, arms, and legs are predominantly white. The cotton-top tamarin
is found in humid tropical forest, dry deciduous
forest, and secondary growth forest. This tamarin is also highly adaptable to secondary or
remnant forest fringes or patches and can live in relatively disturbed
habitats. Fruits and insects comprise the majority of the cotton-top tamarin's
diet. It is arboreal and diurnal, arising an hour after dawn and
retiring well before dark. Foraging
generally takes place in mid-lower strata
of the forest. Sleeping sites are in the upper canopy, where a cotton-top tamarin sleeps on a
wide branch or forking branches
or amid tufts of leafy vegetation.
Cotton-top tamarin groups do not represent extended families.
A group may consist of a dominant mated pair, their young of the year, and a
number of transient subordinates. Groups most commonly consist of 3 - 9 animals.
The home
ranges of neighboring groups overlap substantially, but contact between groups appears to be agonistic.
A group maintains a fixed territory
within its home range. Most groups appear to be monogamous,
with only one reproductively active male and female. Only one female gives birth, while
other females in the group are reproductively suppressed. Everyone takes
care of infants - parents, other females, juveniles and young all take part. The sharing of
food seems common, especially
fathers sharing with their young ones and older siblings with younger
siblings.
The cotton-top tamarin is endemic to
Colombia. It has a limited
distribution, occurring in northwestern Colombia,
generally between the Atrato River and the Magdalena River. Current population numbers are unknown, but more than 3/4 of its
original habitat has been deforested, much of it for cattle pasture. Remnant
populations are small and are restricted to a few isolated forest fragments. Currently, deforestation for agriculture, fuel, and
housing is the greatest threat to the
survival of the cotton-top tamarin. Collection for the local pet trade in
Colombia and continuing illegal
exportation are also of concern.
Tidbits
*** In 1992, a survey of students in a rural community of Colombia showed that 90% of the students were not
aware that the cotton-top tamarin is found only in Colombia
and is one of the most endangered primates in their country. (The same survey showed that
70% of the students had never visited the forest, even though it was less than 5 km (3 mi)
away, and that most of the students considered the forest to be a dangerous place, filled
with poisonous snakes and other undesirable creatures.) (Savage 1992)
*** Cotton-top tamarins can benefit from some selective timber harvesting which opens
up forest habitat.
*** The cotton-top tamarin has been used in medical research, and currently
there are more of these monkeys in captivity than in the wild (Burnie & Wilson 2001).
*** The cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) actually seems
to have an Oedipus complex (in the Greek sense), although the mother apparently
does not allow her son to consummate the process (Ginther
& Snowdon 2004).
Status and Trends
Countries Where the Cotton-top Tamarin Is Currently Found:
2004: Occurs in Colombia (IUCN
2004).
Population Estimates:
[Note: Figures given are for wild populations only.]
History of Distribution:
The cotton-top tamarin is endemic to
Colombia. It has a limited
distribution, occurring in northwestern Colombia,
generally between the Atrato River and the Magdalena River, in the Departments
of Atlantico, Sucre, Cordoba, western Bolivar, northwestern Antiquoia, and
northeastern Choco. More specifically, its range extends from the eastern bank
of the Atrato River to the western bank of the Cauca and lower Magdalene Rivers,
bounded by the Colombian Caribbean coast to the north and the beginning of the
Cauca River and crossing the Serranía de San Jerónimo to the south. It is not
found on Mompos Island, where it is replaced by the white-footed
tamarin. Current population numbers are unknown, but more than 3/4 of its
original habitat has been deforested, much of it for cattle pasture. Remnant
populations are small and are restricted to a few isolated forest fragments. (Emmons
& Feer 1997, AZA 1998e, Defler
2004, Project Tamarin)
Distribution
Map #1 (17 Kb) (InfoNatura)
Distribution
Map #2 (68 Kb JPEG) (Project
Tamarin)
Distribution
Map #3 (255 Kb JPEG) (Inst.
Ciên. Biol.)
Threats and Reasons for Decline:
From 1960 - 1975, as many as 30,000 - 40,000 cotton-top tamarins were
exported to the USA, in addition to those exported to other countries. This export trade was primarily for
biomedical research, mainly because the cotton-top tamarin’s tendency to
develop colon cancer made it an ideal subject for in-depth studies.
All exportation from
Colombia has been outlawed since 1974,
but some illegal exportation continues. Currently, deforestation for agriculture, fuel, and
housing is the greatest threat to the
survival of the cotton-top tamarin. Collection for the local pet trade in
Colombia and continuing illegal
exportation are also of concern. (Defler 2004, Project Tamarin)
Data on Biology and Ecology
The cotton-top tamarin weighs 0.40 - 0.45 kg (0.9 - 1.0 lb). The length of
its head and body is 20 - 25 cm (8 - 10"). Males and females are
about the same size. (Burnie
& Wilson 2001)
Habitat:
The cotton-top tamarin is found in humid tropical forest, dry deciduous
forest, and secondary growth forest. It uses multiple
layers of the tropical forest, moving vertically
between the understory and canopy,
but it prefers to utilize the lower levels of the forest. It is most
commonly found in trees but can also be seen on the ground, foraging
among leaf litter. This tamarin is also highly adaptable to secondary or
remnant forest fringes or patches and can live in relatively disturbed
habitats. (Prim. Info Net)
The cotton-top tamarin occurs in the Choco-Darien Moist Forests Global 200 Ecoregion.
(Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)
Age to Maturity:
18 months (female); 24 months (male).
125 - 140 days (Defler 2004).
Birth Season:
A birth season has been reported in March - May at the beginning of the
rainy season, with another birth season six months later in September -
November, although births have been found during other times of the year (Defler
2004).
Birth Rate:
A female cotton-top tamarin gives birth once a year. Twenty percent of the
births produce one infant, while eighty percent of the time twins are born. (AZA 1998e,
Burnie & Wilson 2001)
Early Development:
Observations on 4 sets of twins born in their natural habitat showed that
after birth both parents and other older females took care of the babies, with
the juveniles and young taking some part later after the first 3 weeks as the
new infants matured. By the fourth or fifth week the infant
was traveling beside the care-giver, and by week nine the infant traveled
independently 50% of the time. At fourteen weeks the infant was independent
and did not need to be carried. At week seven the first social play was
observed, while at week eight infants began begging for food from other group
members. Weaning occurs about eight - ten weeks after birth. (Defler
2004)
Subadult males have been observed to migrate between groups (Defler
2004).
Maximum Age:
One cotton-top tamarin lived for nearly 25 years in captivity (Nowak
1999).
Diet:
The cotton-top tamarin primarily feeds on fruits and insects. It also
consumes flowers, leaves, nectar and gums of trees and occasionally small vertebrates
such as frogs and lizards. A cotton-top tamarin obtains water from the fruit
it eats, and it also licks leaves wet with rain or morning dew to obtain
moisture. Because of the
seasonal scarcity of food, the body weight of the cotton-top tamarin varies as
much as 30% between rainy and dry seasons. (AZA 1998e,
Defler 2004)
Behavior:
Activity Patterns - The cotton-top tamarin is arboreal and diurnal, arising an hour after dawn and
retiring well before dark. It travels 1 - 2 km/day (0.6 - 1.2 mi/day), foraging
for insects, feeding on fruit, and seeking favorite sleeping spots. One study
showed that the percentages of time spent on different activities by two
groups of cotton-top tamarins were quite different from each other: 44%/31% foraging,
37%/29% resting, and 19%/40% moving. Foraging
generally takes place in mid-lower strata
of the forest (at heights of 4.5 - 13.5 m (14.8 - 44') above ground in one
study). The day range of one group was estimated at 1.5 - 1.9 km (0.93 - 1.2
mi).
Locomotion - The cotton-top tamarin is a quadrupedal
walker, runner and galloper. It jumps from one terminal branch to another and
often clings from a vertical position.
Sleeping - Sleeping sites are in the upper canopy
(13.5 - 20 m (44 - 66') above ground in one study), where a cotton-top tamarin sleeps on a
wide branch or forking branches, often with little vegetative cover overhead,
or amid tufts of leafy vegetation. Sometimes it uses a cover of lianas
and branches and occasionally it uses a dense mass of vines. One group of
cotton-top tamarins was often observed to enter the tree chosen for sleeping
at 1630 (4:30 pm) and to be sleeping by 1830 (6:30 pm).
(Emmons
& Feer 1997, Defler
2004)
Social Organization:
Group Structure and
Composition: Cotton-top tamarin groups do not represent extended families.
A group may consist of a dominant mated pair, their young of the year, and a
number of transient subordinates. The
subordinates leave and re-enter the main group and sometimes form small groups
of their own within the home range
of the main group. Cotton-top tamarin groups consist of 2 - 12 animals, with
groups of 3 - 9 animals being most common. (AZA 1998e,
Nowak
1999)
Inter-group Relations: Neighboring home
ranges overlap substantially, but contact between groups appears to be agonistic.
A group maintains a fixed territory
within its home range, which the
group defends physically; e.g. with bluff charges at territory
boundaries, and with vocal displays. One adult member of the group acts as a
sentry while other group members are occupied with foraging
or other activities. (Nowak
1999,
Defler 2004)
Relations between Individuals:
Most groups appear to be monogamous,
with only one reproductively active male and female, although exceptions to
this trend have been found. Only one female gives birth, while
other females in the group are reproductively suppressed. Everyone takes
care of infants. Initially, after birth, parents as well as other females take
care of the baby, with the juveniles and young taking part later, after
the first 3 weeks, as the new infant matures. In fact, this early infant
caretaking experience appears to be critical for the future reproductive
success for both males and females, because parental care in cotton-top
tamarins is not instinctive - it is learned. If an animal is hand-reared or is
removed from its family prior to carrying infants on its back, it will not
successfully rear its own young. The sharing of food seems common, especially
fathers sharing with their young ones and older siblings with younger
siblings. (AZA 1998e,
Defler 2004)
Density and Range:
Density:
- 30 - 180 individuals/sq km (78 - 470 individuals/sq mi) (Nowak
1999).
Home range:
- Home ranges of 12.4 hectares (31
acres) and 10.5 hectares (26 acres) have been observed. Two territories
measuring 7.8 hectares (20 acres) and one territory
measuring 10 hectares (25 acres) have been reported. They overlapped with
neighboring territories by
approximately 20 - 27%. (Defler 2004)
References
AZA, AZA 1998e,
Burnie & Wilson 2001, Burton
& Pearson 1987, Defler 2004, Emmons
& Feer 1997, InfoNatura, Inst.
Ciên. Biol., Ginther &
Snowdon 2004, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000,
IUCN 2003a, IUCN
2004, Nowak 1999, Nowak & Paradiso 1983, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, Prim.
Info Net, Project Tamarin, Savage 1992, Sunquist
1995
Top of Page | Search
This Site
Home | Rarest
Mammals | Species Index | Species Groups Index | Country
Index | Links
Last modified: September 10, 2006;
|
