GOLDEN LION TAMARIN
Leontopithecus rosalia rosalia

These tamarins used to be found in the lower elevations of the Atlantic rainforest - southeastern Brazil from coastal Bahia to Sao Paulo. Now limited to second-growth remnant patches of rainforest in Rio de Janeiro state.

Take cover! They dwell in tropical humid forests, lowland forests from sea level to 300 meters. Within the forest, they select areas with heavy vine and epiphytic growth that provide cover.

Yummy: They eat insects, fruits, flowers, frogs and small lizards.

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful: These animals have long, silky, reddish-gold coats with a dark, almost hairless face, and a long, swept-back mane that conceals the ears. Their hands and feet are narrow and are prehensile with non-opposable thumbs; all digits have modified claws except the big toe, which has a flat nail. The second, third and fourth digits of the hand are webbed. Tamarins weigh 400 - 700 grams (.8 to 1.5 pounds). Head and body length range from seven to 13 inches, tail length ranges from 12 to 15 inches.

Mr. Mom: Their gestation is 125 to 130 days with a litter of two. Infants are carried by the mother for the first week, then care is taken over by the father, transferring back to the mother for feeding. The young are weaned at three months; at four months they are independent from the father and are mature at one year.

Longevity: 15 years average.

Busy as a . . . tamarin: Group sizes vary from two to eight individuals. They sleep in cavities of trees or in forks of branches. Tamarins are highly active and are skillful climbers.

Status: Highly endangered because their habitat is almost completely destroyed.

More than 90% of the Atlantic forest has been lost or fragmented due to lumber and charcoal harvesting, and clearing areas for plantations, cattle pastures and developments.

A reintroduction program and biological preserve was created in Brazil in 1979. The first release of tamarins into the preserve occurred in 1984 and continues to this day.

*Roger Williams Park Zoo is a participant in the Species Survival Program, a cooperative effort by zoos to manage the population of rare and endangered animals. Read more.

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