Goeldi's marmoset facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Goeldi's marmoset |
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Callimico
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| Species: |
goeldii
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The Goeldi's marmoset, also called Goeldi's monkey (Callimico goeldii), is a small monkey from South America. It lives in the Amazon basin, mainly in countries like Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. This monkey is the only species in its group, called Callimico. So, people sometimes call them "callimicos". The monkey is named after Emil August Goeldi, a Swiss-Brazilian scientist who discovered it.
Goeldi's marmosets have dark fur, usually blackish-gray or dark brown. This dark color helps them hide from predators. Their short hair on their head makes them look a bit like a larger Woolly monkey. However, their necks, backs, and tails often have light stripes. Their bodies are about 20–23 cm (8–9 in) long. Their tails are even longer, about 25–30 cm (10–12 in). These monkeys weigh around 0.5 kg (1.1 lb). They have claw-like nails on their fingers and toes, except for their big toe. These claws help them climb trees, move around, and get food like fruits, honey, and seeds.
Contents
About Goeldi's Marmoset
Goeldi's marmoset was first described in 1904. This makes Callimico one of the newer monkey groups to be discovered. Scientists used to place it in its own family. Later, it was grouped with other marmosets and tamarins. Today, it is part of the Callitrichidae family.
Scientists study the genes of C. goeldii to understand its family tree. They believe it shares a common ancestor with other marmosets. One idea is that C. goeldii kept some older traits. For example, they usually give birth to one baby at a time. Many other marmosets have lost a third molar tooth, but Goeldi's marmosets still have it. These differences might help them find different foods and live in different places.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Female Goeldi's marmosets can have babies when they are about 8.5 months old. Males are ready to reproduce at about 16.5 months. Pregnancy lasts between 144 and 159 days. In zoos, female Goeldi's marmosets have about 3.5 babies in their lifetime. However, not all monkeys in zoos reproduce.
Unlike many other monkeys, Goeldi's marmosets can give birth twice a year. This happens often in zoos and sometimes in the wild. Females can get pregnant again soon after giving birth. Also, they eat a lot of fungus, which is available all year. This steady food supply helps them have more babies.
Mothers usually have only one baby at a time. Most other monkeys in their family have twins. Having one baby means the mother can give it more care. The baby also grows faster and becomes ready to reproduce sooner than other marmosets.
Raising Young Monkeys
For the first 2–3 weeks, the mother is the main caregiver. After that, the father and other helpers, often older siblings, share the care. In the wild, mothers sometimes give their babies to other group members as early as 10 days after birth.
When a Goeldi's marmoset baby is born, it weighs about 10% of its mother's weight. Twin marmosets weigh twice that much. This means Goeldi's marmoset mothers don't need as much help right away. Sharing the care helps mothers recover. It also spreads the energy cost of carrying the baby among the helpers and the father.
Caregivers also need to find food for the babies when they are about 4 weeks old. This includes letting babies take food from them. Babies learn how to find food on their own this way. In the wild, mothers stop nursing around 4 weeks. However, in zoos, nursing can last until the baby is 8–15 weeks old. Babies are usually fully weaned around 63 days old. Both male and female helpers take part in caring for the young. Even young Goeldi's marmosets help out.
Babies are carried all the time during their first month. They are carried about 63% of the time in their second month. They don't leave their caregiver's side until they are about 2.5 months old. By 3 months old, they are rarely carried. They learn to move on their own, even if it's a bit forced at first. In groups, there are usually twice as many females as males. In zoos, Goeldi's marmosets can live for about 10 years.
How They Grow
From birth to about 18 months old, Goeldi's marmosets grow faster than other marmosets. This is partly because they are carried by their mothers. This means they use less energy to stay warm and move around. Instead, this energy goes into growing. A longer nursing period also helps them grow faster. Both male and female babies and young monkeys grow at similar rates.
Where They Live and What They Eat
Goeldi's marmosets live in the Amazon rainforest. You can find them in the Colombian Amazon, Peruvian Amazonia, and the western Brazilian Amazon. They are also found in northwestern Bolivia. It is not yet confirmed if they live in Ecuador. They are not found everywhere in these areas. Their numbers seem to depend on whether they live near tamarins.
Goeldi's marmosets have been seen in Colombia, near the Andes mountains. They are also found along the Putumayo River and Caquetá Rivers. In Peru, they live in places like the Pucacuro National Reserve and Manu National Park. Locals there call them chi-chi. They have also been seen near the Yura River and Sierra del Divisor National Park. Groups usually have three to twelve monkeys.
In Brazil, Goeldi's marmosets live in the southwest Amazon. This includes areas near the Juruá River, Gregório River, and Purús River. They are also found near the Madeira River and Abuna River. Many of these monkeys live in the Pando department in Bolivia.
Goeldi's marmosets like to find food in thick, bushy areas. Because of this, they are not very common. Groups live in separate patches of their favorite habitat. These patches can be miles apart. In the wet season, they eat fruits, flowers, insects, spiders, and small animals like lizards and frogs. In the dry season, they eat fungi. They are the only tropical primates known to eat fungi as a main food source.
They live in small social groups, usually with about six monkeys. They stay close to each other and use high-pitched calls to communicate. They also form groups with other monkeys, like white-lipped tamarins and brown-mantled tamarins. This might be because Goeldi's marmosets cannot see all colors like some other monkeys can.
Gallery
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Marmoset eating a butterfly
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Marmoset in Venezuela
See also
In Spanish: Tamarino de Goeldi para niños
