Golden Lion Tamarins

Golden Lion Tamarins are small monkeys that are endangered.

There are only about a thousand living in their native environment of Brazil. However, that's an improvement. Without conservation efforts over the last 20 to 30 years, this species would be extinct. In 1980, there were more Golden Lion Tamarins in zoos than there were in the rainforest. Zoos that raise Golden Lion Tamarins teamed up and sent some back to Brazil. More than 150 of those monkeys are still doing well in the wild. So now, Golden Lion Tamarins are no longer "very endangered" but they are "endangered." However, with habitat destruction continuing, this species has an uphill battle.

Golden Lion Tamarins hang on to the backs of their mothers for the first three months of life. They are too weak in those first 90 days to try to venture through the trees on their own. They would not survive so they need to hang on. Apparently, their hand muscles are quite strong. Fortunately for mom, raising newborns is a family affair. The adult Golden Lion Tamarins weigh less than 2 pounds so it would be too grueling to carry little ones all the time.

One set of twins is usually born at a time. The new twins at the Denver Zoo were born on March 10. Rosie and Siamo are proving to be excellent parents yet again. They had another set of twins, Annie and Alex, just 9 months ago. Even though they are still young, the older siblings get very involved with the babies and even carry them around on their backs. Juvenile tamarins crave parenting skills to get them ready for the day they have their own offspring.

Aside from habitat destruction, the pet trade is also putting these monkeys at risk. It's not recommended you have a tamarin for a pet. For one, it's illegal. Secondly, they are messy animals. Golden Lion Tamarins also want to be left alone and are not friendly to humans. They can be aggressive even to each other. In the wild, adult females will get fed up with each other and attack. Males tend to be a bit more tolerant but will also attack if provoked. It's hard to believe because these monkeys are precious to look at with their loopy, long tails and the puffy mane around their faces. After your first glimpse, you get where the "lion" in their name comes from.

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