Emperor Tamarin Monkey

              The Emperor Tamarin Monkey, of the genus Saguinus, is a New World monkey that’s found in South America, particularly in the southwest Amazon basin. This range covers Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. This particular species of monkey was named after German Emperor Wilhelm II for its impressive mustached appearance.

           Emperor Tamarins are mostly found inhabiting tropical rainforests and other forested areas. However, they can also be found in other environments, such as mountains, lowlands, and areas that are flooded seasonally. Being monkeys, they are arboreal, meaning they live in the trees and not down on the forest floor. They prefer high trees for finding food and swinging around, protecting them largely from any predators that may be found lurking.

Since they live mostly up in the canopies, Emperor Tamarins primarily eat fruit that grows from the very trees they live in.  They are not just partial to fruit, however, and will eat insects, gum, leaves, and nectar. This makes them omnivores, an animal that eats food of plant and animal origin.

Emperor Tamarins are also known to be highly social creatures. They like to live in extended family groups of two to eight individuals, however, that does not stop there from being as many as 15 individuals in one group. In these groups they are known to socialize by use of mutual grooming, which is known to be one of the most important roles for bonding. Even more impressive, they have been observed in the wild to live in mixed-species groups with other Tamarin species. Scientists who have studied their behavior and living patterns have determined this is for their safety and protection from predators. A relationship like this is known as a symbiotic relationship: a close ecological relationship between the individuals of two (or more) different species. This relationship is mostly seen between the Emperor Tamarins, and a close relative known as the Saddleback Tamarin.

Emperor Tamarin family groups are different from the living group, having one breeding female and two breeding males. Breeding females are not partial to one partner and will breed with both breeding males. Females will give birth to one, two, or rarely, even three young. These young are entirely dependent on their mother and will be carried by her for 6-7 weeks. They will be weaned from their mother after two or three months and become their own individuals within the group. Emperor Tamarins can then proceed to live up to 10 to 20 years on average.

As far as conservation, Emperor Tamarins face many kinds of dangers, and are considered a threatened species. Deforestation and habitat loss are the leading causes of this, as rainforests are removed for human uses, such as cattle farming and urbanization. Peru, specifically, is in danger of losing most of its Emperor Tamarin population. The second danger facing this species of Tamarin, is the pet trade. Due to this species’ mustached appearance and funny appearance, they are popular to pet owners who either do not know better, or do not care.