Golden Lion Tamarin :: WLR:- The golden lion tamarin also known as the golden marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae. Native to the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil, the golden lion tamarin is an endangered species with an estimated wild population of "more than 1,000 individuals" and a captive population maintained at approximately 490 individuals.
The golden lion tamarin gets its name from its fiery orange or red pelage and the extra long hairs that form along its cheek, throat and ears, giving it a distinctive mane. Its face is dark and hairless. It is believed that the hair color of the tamarin is due to exposure to sunlight or the carotenoids in its diet. The golden lion tamarin is the largest of the callitrichines. It is 261 mm (10.3 in) tall on average and has an average weight of 620 g (1.37 lb). There is almost no size difference between males and females. As with all callitrichines, the golden lion tamarin has tegulae, which are claw-like nails, instead of ungulae or flat nails found in all other primates, including humans. Tegulaes enable tamarins to cling to the side of tree trunks. They may also move quadrupedally along the smaller branches, whether through walking, running, leaping or bounding. This gives it a locomotion more similar to squirrels than primates.
The golden lion tamarin has a very limited distribution range. It is found only in Brazil where it lives in 14 highly fragmented forests remnants totaling 154 km square (59.5 mi square). Tamarins live along the far southeastern border of the country in the municipalities of Silva Jardim, Cabo Frio, Saquarema, and Araruama. However, that have been successfully reintroduced to the municipalities of Rio das Ostras, Rio Bonito, and Casimiro de Abreu. Tamarins live in coastal lowland forests below 300 m (984 ft) above sea level. They can be found in hilltop forests and swamp forests.
The golden lion tamarin gets its name from its fiery orange or red pelage and the extra long hairs that form along its cheek, throat and ears, giving it a distinctive mane. Its face is dark and hairless. It is believed that the hair color of the tamarin is due to exposure to sunlight or the carotenoids in its diet. The golden lion tamarin is the largest of the callitrichines. It is 261 mm (10.3 in) tall on average and has an average weight of 620 g (1.37 lb). There is almost no size difference between males and females. As with all callitrichines, the golden lion tamarin has tegulae, which are claw-like nails, instead of ungulae or flat nails found in all other primates, including humans. Tegulaes enable tamarins to cling to the side of tree trunks. They may also move quadrupedally along the smaller branches, whether through walking, running, leaping or bounding. This gives it a locomotion more similar to squirrels than primates.
The golden lion tamarin has a very limited distribution range. It is found only in Brazil where it lives in 14 highly fragmented forests remnants totaling 154 km square (59.5 mi square). Tamarins live along the far southeastern border of the country in the municipalities of Silva Jardim, Cabo Frio, Saquarema, and Araruama. However, that have been successfully reintroduced to the municipalities of Rio das Ostras, Rio Bonito, and Casimiro de Abreu. Tamarins live in coastal lowland forests below 300 m (984 ft) above sea level. They can be found in hilltop forests and swamp forests.
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