The Brandywine Zoo has two golden lion tamarins. Huey, was born at the Brandywine Zoo on November 19, 2007. He has several black spots in the middle of his tail; short cheek tufts  and little facial discoloration. His brother, Armond Junior AKA “AJ” 1.0 was also born at the Brandywine Zoo on April 15, 2007. He is darkest in color, has long tufts of curled hair on either side of his head; his tail is mostly orange.

HABITAT
Lowland seasonal rain forest of the Atlantic coast of Brazil

GEOGRAPHIC REGION AND RANGE
Golden lion tamarins live in the lowland, coastal rain forest region in southeast Brazil.

DIET
Wild: Omvivores- spiders, snails, small lizards, eggs, plant exudates (gums), flowers, nectar, small birds, fruits, and vegetables.
Under Human Care: Commercial marmoset diet, banana, pear, eggs, primate salad, leaf-eater biscuits, grapes

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
They have fiery orange or red fur over their entire bodies including long hairs that form a striking mane on their cheeks, throat, and ears surrounding their dark, hairless faces. Lion tamarins are the largest of the callitrichids. They have claws that allow them to cling vertically to tree trunks and perhaps aiding in walking, running, leaping and bounding quadrupedally along smaller branches int he forests in which they live.

SIZE
6-10 inches (15-25 cm) in length tail of about 12-15 inches (32-40 cm)

WEIGHT
17-24 ounces (482-680 grams)

LIFESPAN
Wild: 15 years
Under Human Care: up to 25 years

THREATS
Once, golden lion tamarins were captured and sold as pets. Their rapid decline in numbers has thwarted many people’s desires for these exotic pets. Although wild populations are improving from captive-bred individuals (1/3 of wild species originated from captive stock), they are still threatened, and continuing conservation is essential to ensure that the enormous successes thus far are not undone.

STATUS
Endangered

REPRODUCTION
They normally breed twice a year, between September and March. Females give birth, usually to twins, after a gestation of 130 to 135 days. At birth, the golden lion tamarin is fully furred with eyes open. It clings to its mother for the first few weeks and nurses for a period of 90 days. At about 5 weeks, they begin to experience things independently. There is one breeding pair per group. The whole group rears the young together, although the majority is done by the father.

BEHAVIOR
Diurnal, active during the day. They sleep from dusk until sunrise, often times with a mid-day nap. They have a quad-gait, meaning they use all fours to get around. They run and walk through the trees and spring and leap between branches and vines.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE
They are a social species. In the wild, they are found in groups of 2-8, often made up of family members. These tamarins are territorial and defend their area with scent markings and vocalized threats.  They groom themselves much like other primates, however, males mainly groom females.