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Golden Lion Tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia) are small New World monkeys of the family Cebidae. Native to the humid coastal forests of Brazil, Golden Lion Tamarins are an endangered species and among the rarest animals in the world, with an estimated wild population of 1,000 individuals; there are about 500 in captivity.

1 Description

As their name would suggest, these lion tamarins are a reddish orange to golden brown in colour. Their hair is longer and darker around the face, forming a mane on top of the head and on the cheeks and throat. Their limbs are slender yet capable with sharp claws, befitting their strictly arboreal lives. Although quite long, their tails are not prehensile. The tails and forepaws may have a black coloration. Golden Lion Tamarins may reach a maximum weight of just 650 grams. Their bodies may be up to 335 millimetres in length and their tails up to 400 mm. Males are somewhat larger than females.

2 Habitat

Most of the wild population is confined to the Reserva Biologica de Poço das Antas , a protected area of swampy forests in the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is an important bastion of the Golden Lion Tamarin, as only 2% of forests in the monkeys' original range remains. Furthermore, their existing habitat has been broken up by loggingFor another article about a different type of logging, see data logging. Logging is the practice of cutting down trees, then cutting out their central boles (the clear trunk or central stem) and possibly branches in order to use the wood directly or to ma and agricultureFarming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). Agriculture is also known as farming .; this has led to isolated populations and inbreeding, a combination likely to result in extinctionIn biology and ecology, extinction is the disappearance of a species or group of species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species. In species which reproduce sexually, extinction of a species.

A high canopy with dense tangles of vines is required by the Golden Lion Tamarin; other than providing a home, the labyrinthine forest affords some degree of protection from their many predators. Their main predators are raptorAccipitriformes Cathartidae Pandionidae Accipitridae Sagittariidae Falconiformes Falconidae A bird of prey or raptor is a bird that hunts its food, especially one that preys on mammals or other birds. Diurnal birds of prey hunt with their beaks and talonss, large catFelinae Pantherinae Acinonychinae All cats are members of the family Felidae . The felines are the most strictly carnivorous of the nine families in the order Carnivora. The cats' closest relatives are thought to be the other families in their branch of ts and snakeAcrochordidae Aniliidae Anomalepididae Anomochilidae Atractaspididae Boidae Bolyeriidae Colubridae Cylindrophiidae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Leptotyphlopidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Typhlopidae Uropeltidae Viperidae Xenopeltidae Snakes are colds. The canopy also provides an important source of food; the omnivorousOmnivores are organisms that consume on both plants and animals. At one time the word omnivore was used to designate the pig family. Examples: Mammals many pigs many bears many primates (including humans) domestic dogs some rodents, including mice, rats, tamarins rely on rainwater and insectSubclass Apterygota Symphypleona globular springtails Subclass Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) Subclass Dicondylia Monura extinct Thysanura (common bristletails) Subclass Pterygota Palaeodictyoptera extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata ( dragonfls concentrated in the reservoirs of bromeliads and other small animals inhabiting the bark of trees. Fruit is also eaten.