The golden-handed tamarin (''Saguinus midas''), also known as the red-handed tamarin or Midas tamarin, is a

New World monkey New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Ceboidea ...

belonging to the family

Callitrichidae The Callitrichidae (also called Arctopitheci or Hapalidae) are a family of New World monkeys, including marmosets, tamarins, and lion tamarins. At times, this group of animals has been regarded as a subfamily, called the Callitrichinae, of the ...

Distribution and habitat

This species is native to wooded areas north of the

Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label= French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the nor ...

, and possibly

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. A population of tamarins south of the Amazon River that lack the contrasting feet and hands was previously believed to be a sub-population of golden-handed tamarins but is now treated as a separate species, the

black tamarin The black tamarin (''Saguinus niger'') or western black-handed tamarin, is a species of tamarin endemic to Brazil. Taxonomy Based on mitochondrial DNA analysis, black tamarins were found to be more closely related to populations on the same sid ...

. Populations of golden-handed tamarins appear to be expanding into the historical range of the

pied tamarin The pied tamarin (''Saguinus bicolor''), sometimes referred to as the Brazilian bare-faced tamarin, is a Critically Endangered primate species found in a restricted area of the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. It was named the mascot of Manaus, Bra ...

, with the golden-handed tamarin gradually displacing the pied tamarin through

interspecific competition Interspecific competition, in ecology, is a form of competition in which individuals of ''different'' species compete for the same resources in an ecosystem (e.g. food or living space). This can be contrasted with mutualism, a type of symbiosis. ...

. This species prefers trees with small crowns.

Description

The golden-handed tamarin's body measures ; including the tail it measures . It weighs . The fur of the golden-handed tamarin is dark brown or black, with contrasting golden-orange hair on its feet and hands (hence the common name). The dark face is hairless, the big ears stick out of the fur. As with all marmosets, there are claws instead of nails on the fingers and toes (with the exception of the big toe). Furthermore, the thumb is not opposable.Animal Diversity
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Biology and behavior

The life expectancy of ''Saguinus midas'' is approximately 10 years in the wild and 16 years in captivity. These tamarins live in cooperative groups of 4 to 15 members with little competition within group even between breeding males. Adults can reach sexual maturity at age of 16–20 months. Only one female in the group will breed during breeding season with the other females suppressing the instinct. The gestation period is 140–170 days and mothers typically give birth to two offspring. Young tamarins are cared for primarily by the father and turned over to the mother only to nurse, however the entire group helps with the care of the young. Defense is a priority in a group, and when one tamarin is threatened the others will rush to its defense. The golden-handed tamarin is territorial and can be aggressive, with sharp canines and claws instead of fingernails on all fingers and all but the large toe. The golden-handed tamarin is an exceptional climber and spends most of its time among the vines and branches of the trees. It is quick and agile and is a superb jumper known to jump distances of over from a tree to the ground with no sign of injury. It is an omnivore. Its diet consists of leaves, plant exudates, fruit, flowers, eggs, insects and other arthropods, frogs, spiders, lizards, and nectar. Its natural predators include small cats,

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...

, and snakes.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q775569

golden-handed tamarin The golden-handed tamarin (''Saguinus midas''), also known as the red-handed tamarin or Midas tamarin, is a New World monkey belonging to the family Callitrichidae. Distribution and habitat This species is native to wooded areas north of the Am ...

Mammals of Brazil Mammals of Venezuela Mammals of French Guiana Mammals of Guyana Mammals of Suriname Fauna of the Guianas