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Cotton-Top Tamarin
(Saguinus oedipus)
Aptly named for the tuft of white hair on its head, the
cotton-top tamarin is only found in the wild in northwestern
Colombia. The cotton-top tamarin can survive in both
Colombia's dry thorn forests and wet tropical forests, where
it maintains a steady diet of fruits and insects.
The tamarin weighs only 400-700 grams (about 1-.1.5 pounds).
Its body and tail (the tail is used to balance during climbing
and jumping) measures in total about 46 centimeters (18
inches).
While only one female in a troop gives birth, all of the
tamarins care for the infants, in a system where parental care
is learned rather than instinctive. Before the species was
declared endangered and banned from exportation in 1973, the
cotton-top tamarin was threatened by its heavy use in
biomedical research. Now its biggest threats are
deforestation, and its popularity in the local Colombian pet
trade.
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