The Golden Lion Tamarin, an Endangered Species
This Brazilian Primate is Proof that a Dying Species can be Revived
Oct 9, 2009
If one were to walk through what is left of the Brazilian coastal forests, he or she might come across a small, shiny-orange monkey hiding or playing in the trees. Thanks to the efforts of the Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Program, an international project spearheaded by the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, one's chances of spotting this monkey has increased significantly. The current existence of golden lion tamarins in the wild is a credit to member organizations and proof that their heroic efforts are not in vain.
What is a Golden Lion Tamarin?
Golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia), also known as golden marmosets or golden lion marmosets, are small primates. As their name suggests, these tamarins have somewhat golden fur, usually more reddish-orange in color. Likewise, they have lion-like manes encircling their faces and hiding their ears.
Tamarins are very small, with adults weighing little more than a pound. They average 10 to 12 inches in height, not including their 16-inch tails. Instead of fingernails, golden lion tamarins have claws. According to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park's website, tamarins generally live only eight years in captivity. However, the record lifespan for a golden lion tamarin is 31 years.
Where Do Golden Lion Tamarins Live?
Golden Lion Tamarins are native to Brazil. They inhabit lowland rainforests near the country's Atlantic coast. Per the National Zoological Park, tamarins in the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve "prefer swamp forest, which contains many vines and bromeliads, and has a high density of fruit and animal foods." There, they spend their days on branches and camp out in tree holes at night.
Golden Lion Tamarins live in family-like groupings consisting of one adult male, one adult female, and three to seven children (not always belonging to the adults). Per the National Zoological Park, child rearing is cooperative. Oddly, births usually produce twins.
What Do Golden Lion Tamarins Eat?
Golden lion tamarins are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Primary food sources are fruit and insects, but tamarins also eat small vertebrates like mice and lizards. They use their long, thin, clawed fingers to dig out bugs from the tree bark.
Why are Golden Lion Tamarins Endangered?
Despite a resurgence of their population, golden lion tamarins are still endangered. Like most sub-species of tigers, tamarins are victims of habitat loss and fragmentation. Per the National Zoological Park, tamarins "are endangered because their habitat has been fragmented into small, unconnected areas, each area only capable of supporting a small number of groups." Without diligent conservation efforts, "inbreeding would soon lead to the local extinction of many of these small populations of tamarins, and eventually of the entire species." Only an insignificant percentage of the animal's original habitat remains.
Hunting and capturing tamarins for zoos or personal ownership have also led to their decline. In addition to human predators, tamarins must secure themselves from natural predators, including cats, large snakes, and carnivorous birds.
What Can Be Done to Protect Golden Lion Tamarins?
Tamarin conservation efforts have thus far proven successful. However, according to the World Wildlife Federation (WWF), the "tamarin has to double its population to leave the list of endangered species."
Still, the species is undoubtedly on the right track. Brazil's adherence to its species preservation responsibilities is worthy of commendation. Per the WWF, there are two "biological reserves in the Northeast region of the State of Rio de Janeiro and the headquarters of the Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Programme. The birth of the 1,000th animal, announced on April 2001, was a landmark for the Golden Lion Tamarin Programme, WWF's first project in Brazil, started in 1971."
Reintroduction of tamarins bred in captivity to the wild has been key to the species growth. According to Zoo Atlanta, 153 Golden Lion Tamarins were reintroduced by December 2003. More than "500 offspring, born to reintroduced parents, make up a total reintroduction population of about 556 . . . over a third of the entire GLT population."
All in all, conservationists in northern and southern hemispheres have worked together to rebuild a dying population. Tamarins, numbering fewer than 200 only two decades ago, now number approximately 1,500. As long as efforts persist, golden lion tamarins will be around for many years to come.
For additional reading on conservation success or species reintroduction into the wild, see Siberian tigers and South China tigers, respectively.
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