The Pygmy Marmoset is native to the rainforests of the western Amazon basin in South America. These mini monkeys live in lowland, tropical evergreen forests, often on river floodplains.
It’s the smallest monkey in the world and can fit comfortably in an adult’s hand, with an average weight of less than 120 grams! They’re a strange but adorable looking monkey with squirrel-like hands and feet, a long mane of hair around their face and a tail that is longer than its body. Their tiny bodies are covered with orange-brown fur that can sometimes have a greenish tinge! Despite their size, Pygmy Marmosets can leap up to five metres!
Pygmy Marmosets live in small family groups and females can have twins twice a year. Baby marmosets are no bigger than a human thumb!
Tree sap is their food of choice so it’s a good thing they’re perfectly designed with claw-like nails and elongated incisor teeth to gouge holes into trees to allow the sap to seep from within.
Fortunately Pygmy Marmosets are still common in the wild but do face threats from habitat loss and the pet trade.
