Pygmy Marmosets: World’s Smallest Monkey

Pygmy marmosets are the world’s smallest monkeys. Adults are about 14 to 16 centimetres (5.5 to 6.3 in) long with 15 to 20 centimetres (5.9 to 7.9 in) tail. Males weigh around 140 grams (4.9 oz), and females only 120 grams (4.2 oz). The fur is buff and gray with yellow and green striations, which give it a grizzled effect on the head and back and a vague banded effect on the tail. They have long hair on their heads and chests. The Pygmy Marmoset is native to the tropical forests of South America. These marmosets are found in the rainforest canopies of western Brazil, south-eastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia.

 They are active and agile creatures, running, jumping, and occasionally leaping among trees and shrubs. Their forelimbs are shorter than their hind limbs and they often feed while clinging upright to a trunk or branch with their sharp claws. They have claws on all digits except the big toe, which has a flat nail.

Pygmy Marmosets rely heavily on gums and saps called exudates from trees and vines. In fact, 67 percent of their feeding time is spent eating tree exudates or preparing new food sources by gnawing tree trunks or large branches, from which they will later collect sap. Insects make up the other important part of the Marmoset diet; they love to eat grasshoppers, spiders and small reptiles. They also eat fruits and other plant parts in small quantities.

Marmosets often live in groups made up of an adult pair and its offspring; ranging from 2-6 members. They usually have a lifespan of about 11-12 years in the wild and in zoos they live into their early twenties.

The Pygmy Marmoset uses special types of communication to give alerts and warning to its family members. They communicate using scent markings, high-pitched whistles and twitters. They also communicate with members of their groups through facial expressions and posture.

Pygmy marmosets are currently not endangered. However they are listed as special concern or somewhat threatened. A threat to these small monkeys is the pet trade and their habitat destruction.