Tamarins/Emperor Tamarin

Emperor Tamarin

Taxonomy and Conservation

The Emperor Tamarin is a New World Monkey of the family Callitrichidae and is found in Central and South America . These primates are divided into six genera and the Emperor Tamarin belongs to the genus Saguinus Saguinus is a large genus which includes 33 taxonomically distinct kinds of tamarins . The Emperor Tamarin or saguinus imperator is divided into two subspecies . These are the Black-chinned Emperor Tamarin or saguinus imperator imperator and the Bearded Emperor Tamarin or saguinus imperator subgrisescens

The Emperor Tamarin is limited to

the western Amazonian forest and live in the tropical rain forests of Peru , Brazil and Bolivia . They are considered endangered or threatened in some areas , while in other areas their status is classified as indeterminate . At the subspecies level the black-chinned emperor tamarin is considered vulnerable while the bearded emperor tamarin is classified as Least Concern ' by the IUCN However , in recent years , deforestation and destruction of their natural habitat is subjecting them to the danger of extinction

Feeding and Spacing

The feeding and foraging characteristics of the Emperor tamarin are well studied and very consistent trends are common amongst the population Tamarins are omnivores and their food of choice is fruit . But they have been known to eat insects and even gums during the dry season . Their foraging and food hunting skills are remarkably advanced and they have adapted interspecific relationships to enhance their success . The benefits have outweighed the costs and contribute the widespread trend (Marques 2003

Tamarins...