Cotton-top tamarin or Cotton-headed tamarin

Description:

San Antonio Zoo. Critically endangered. This tamarin is a small New World monkey weighing less than 1 lb (0.5 kg). The cottontop tamarin vocalizes with birdlike whistles, soft chirping sounds, high-pitched trilling, and staccato calls. Researchers say its repertoire of 38 distinct sounds is unusually sophisticated, conforming to grammatical rules and able to express curiosity, fear, dismay, playfulness, warnings, joy, and calls to young. It has loud territorial songs as well as songs when it is excited.

Habitat:

Tropical forest edges and secondary forests where it is arboreal and diurnal.

Notes:

Life span in captivity has been as high as 25 years whereas life span in the wild is about 13–16 years. The wild population is estimated at about 6000, with 2000 adults. This species is critically endangered, having lost more than three-quarters of its original habitat to deforestation. Clearing of forest habitat by humans is the main problem and populations have also been depleted by the pet trade and scientific research. They are now protected by international law; although they are numerous in captivity, they are still critically endangered in the wild. The species is considered to be one of "The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates."