Marmoset
Encyclopedia
Marmosets (ˈmɑrmɵsɛt) are the 22 New World monkey
species of the genera
Callithrix
, Cebuella, Callibella, and Mico
. All four genera are part of the biological family
Callitrichidae. The term marmoset is also used in reference to the Goeldi's Monkey, Callimico goeldii, which is closely related.
Most marmosets are about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long. Relative to other monkey
s, they show some apparently primitive features: they have claw
s rather than nail
s, and tactile hairs on their wrists. They lack wisdom teeth
, and their brain
layout seems to be relatively primitive. Their body temperature is unusually variable, changing by up to 4 °C (7 °F) in a day. Marmosets are native to South America and have been found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru.
According to recent research, marmosets exhibit germline chimerism, which is not known to occur in nature in any other primate
.
s, fruit
and leaves. They have long lower incisor
s, which allow them to chew holes in tree trunks and branches to harvest the gum inside; some species are specialised feeders on gum.
, polygyny
and occasionally polyandry
. In most species, fraternal twins are usually born, but triplets are not unknown. Like other callitrichines, marmosets are characterized by a high degree of cooperative care of the young and some food sharing and tolerated theft. Adult males, females other than the mother, and older offspring participate in carrying infants. Most groups scent mark and defend the edges of their ranges, but it is unclear if they are truly territorial, as group home ranges greatly overlap.
and means "beautiful fur". Marmoset is from the French
marmouset, uncertain etymology.
The monkey is mentioned in Shakespeare's Tempest, when Caliban
says he will instruct his new master Stephano "how to snare the nimble marmoset" [for eating], on the no-man island where the play takes place (Act 2, Scene 2).
In I, Claudius
, the fictional autobiography of Roman emperor Claudius
by British novelist Robert Graves
, Herod Agrippa repeatedly refers to Claudius by the pet name "marmoset". As marmosets would not have been found in Rome in the first century AD, the word appears to refer instead to (Asiatic) monkeys in general.
The marmoset is referenced in the eleventh book
of Lemony Snicket
's A Series of Unfortunate Events
, in which having a personal philosophy is compared with owning a pet marmoset: "It may be very attractive when you acquire it, but there may be situations when it will not come in handy at all".
The marmoset is mentioned in "Disco Didn't Die. It Was Murdered!", the fifth episode of the third season
of USA Network
television show Psych
. Head Detective Lassiter and his partner Juliet O'Hara uncover a crate of illegally smuggled exotic animals—namely Marmosets—mistaking it for a crate used by a Russian diamond smuggling syndicate. Quote, "And it was filled with wild marmosets, I hate marmosets, apparently they don't like being shot at". They then go onto to describe the "hundreds of razor sharp claws, and teeth..." Lassiter then says, "Lower primate my ass, I recognize a military formation when I see one".
In the Futurama
episode "The Honking
", Bender's Were-car honk is initially mistaken for a golden marmoset by a pair of crooks.
In the Fu Manchu
book series, Dr. Fu Manchu keeps a pet marmoset.
The movie Rio
has marmosets that act as the secondary antagonists of the film.
The popular iPhone
, iPad
, and Android (operating system) application, Angry Birds Rio, features marmosets as the "villain" in the jungle scenes.
Season 1, episode 4 of The Wild Thornberrys
features marmosets.
New World monkey
New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Platyrrhini parvorder and the Ceboidea superfamily, which are essentially synonymous since...
species of the genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Callithrix
Callithrix
Callithrix is a genus of New World Monkeys of the family Callitrichidae, the family containing marmosets and tamarins. The genus contains the Atlantic forest marmosets. The genera Mico and Callibella were formerly considered a subgenus of the genus Callithrix...
, Cebuella, Callibella, and Mico
Mico (genus)
Mico is a genus of New World monkeys of the family Callitrichidae, the family containing marmosets and tamarins. The genus was formerly considered a subgenus of the genus Callithrix.-Taxonomy:...
. All four genera are part of the biological family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Callitrichidae. The term marmoset is also used in reference to the Goeldi's Monkey, Callimico goeldii, which is closely related.
Most marmosets are about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long. Relative to other monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
s, they show some apparently primitive features: they have claw
Claw
A claw is a curved, pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger in most mammals, birds, and some reptiles. However, the word "claw" is also often used in reference to an invertebrate. Somewhat similar fine hooked structures are found in arthropods such as beetles and spiders, at the end...
s rather than nail
Nail (anatomy)
A nail is a horn-like envelope covering the dorsal aspect of the terminal phalanges of fingers and toes in humans, most non-human primates, and a few other mammals. Nails are similar to claws, which are found on numerous other animals....
s, and tactile hairs on their wrists. They lack wisdom teeth
Wisdom tooth
A wisdom tooth, in humans, is any of the usually four third molars. Wisdom teeth usually appear between the ages of 17 and 25. Most adults have four wisdom teeth, but it is possible to have fewer , or more, in which case they are called supernumerary teeth...
, and their brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
layout seems to be relatively primitive. Their body temperature is unusually variable, changing by up to 4 °C (7 °F) in a day. Marmosets are native to South America and have been found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru.
According to recent research, marmosets exhibit germline chimerism, which is not known to occur in nature in any other primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
.
Ecological
Marmosets are highly active, living in the upper canopy of forest trees, and feeding on insectInsect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
and leaves. They have long lower incisor
Incisor
Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...
s, which allow them to chew holes in tree trunks and branches to harvest the gum inside; some species are specialised feeders on gum.
Social
Marmosets live in family groups of three to 15, consisting of one to two breeding females, an unrelated male, their offspring and occasionally extended family members and unrelated individuals. Their mating systems are highly variable and can include monogamyMonogamy
Monogamy /Gr. μονός+γάμος - one+marriage/ a form of marriage in which an individual has only one spouse at any one time. In current usage monogamy often refers to having one sexual partner irrespective of marriage or reproduction...
, polygyny
Polygyny
Polygyny is a form of marriage in which a man has two or more wives at the same time. In countries where the practice is illegal, the man is referred to as a bigamist or a polygamist...
and occasionally polyandry
Polyandry
Polyandry refers to a form of marriage in which a woman has two or more husbands at the same time. The form of polyandry in which a woman is married to two or more brothers is known as "fraternal polyandry", and it is believed by many anthropologists to be the most frequently encountered...
. In most species, fraternal twins are usually born, but triplets are not unknown. Like other callitrichines, marmosets are characterized by a high degree of cooperative care of the young and some food sharing and tolerated theft. Adult males, females other than the mother, and older offspring participate in carrying infants. Most groups scent mark and defend the edges of their ranges, but it is unclear if they are truly territorial, as group home ranges greatly overlap.
Human cultural references
Callithrix comes from Ancient GreekAncient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
and means "beautiful fur". Marmoset is from the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
marmouset, uncertain etymology.
The monkey is mentioned in Shakespeare's Tempest, when Caliban
Caliban (character)
Caliban is one of the primary antagonists in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.- Character :Caliban is forced into servitude on an island ruled by Prospero. While he is referred to as a calvaluna or mooncalf, a freckled monster, he is the only human inhabitant of the island that is otherwise...
says he will instruct his new master Stephano "how to snare the nimble marmoset" [for eating], on the no-man island where the play takes place (Act 2, Scene 2).
In I, Claudius
I, Claudius
I, Claudius is a novel by English writer Robert Graves, written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius. As such, it includes history of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and Roman Empire, from Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 BC to Caligula's assassination in AD 41...
, the fictional autobiography of Roman emperor Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
by British novelist Robert Graves
Robert Graves
Robert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...
, Herod Agrippa repeatedly refers to Claudius by the pet name "marmoset". As marmosets would not have been found in Rome in the first century AD, the word appears to refer instead to (Asiatic) monkeys in general.
The marmoset is referenced in the eleventh book
The Grim Grotto
The Grim Grotto is the eleventh novel in the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.-Plot:The book begins where The Slippery Slope left off, with the Baudelaires traveling on a collapsing toboggan down the Stricken Stream of the Mortmain Mountains, leaving Quigley Quagmire...
of Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
's A Series of Unfortunate Events
A Series of Unfortunate Events
A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of children's novels by Lemony Snicket which follows the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire after their parents' death in an arsonous house fire...
, in which having a personal philosophy is compared with owning a pet marmoset: "It may be very attractive when you acquire it, but there may be situations when it will not come in handy at all".
The marmoset is mentioned in "Disco Didn't Die. It Was Murdered!", the fifth episode of the third season
Psych (season 3)
The third season of Psych originally aired in the United States on USA Network from July 18, 2008 to February 20, 2009. It consisted of 16 episodes. James Roday, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Corbin Bernsen, and Kirsten Nelson reprised their roles as the main characters...
of USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
television show Psych
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
. Head Detective Lassiter and his partner Juliet O'Hara uncover a crate of illegally smuggled exotic animals—namely Marmosets—mistaking it for a crate used by a Russian diamond smuggling syndicate. Quote, "And it was filled with wild marmosets, I hate marmosets, apparently they don't like being shot at". They then go onto to describe the "hundreds of razor sharp claws, and teeth..." Lassiter then says, "Lower primate my ass, I recognize a military formation when I see one".
In the Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
episode "The Honking
The Honking
"The Honking" is episode eighteen in season two of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on November 5, 2000. The title comes from The Howling, a modern werewolf film.-Plot:...
", Bender's Were-car honk is initially mistaken for a golden marmoset by a pair of crooks.
In the Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu
Dr. Fu Manchu is a fictional character introduced in a series of novels by British author Sax Rohmer during the first half of the 20th century...
book series, Dr. Fu Manchu keeps a pet marmoset.
The movie Rio
Rio (film)
Rio, often promoted as Rio: The Movie, is a 2011 American 3D computer-animated musical comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Carlos Saldanha. The title refers to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, in which the film is set. The film features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne...
has marmosets that act as the secondary antagonists of the film.
The popular iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
, and Android (operating system) application, Angry Birds Rio, features marmosets as the "villain" in the jungle scenes.
Season 1, episode 4 of The Wild Thornberrys
The Wild Thornberrys
The Wild Thornberrys is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon. It was rerun in the USA on Nickelodeon and occasionally The N until 2009 and Nicktoons until 2007...
features marmosets.
Species list
- Genus CallithrixCallithrixCallithrix is a genus of New World Monkeys of the family Callitrichidae, the family containing marmosets and tamarins. The genus contains the Atlantic forest marmosets. The genera Mico and Callibella were formerly considered a subgenus of the genus Callithrix...
—Atlantic marmosets- Common MarmosetCommon MarmosetThe common marmoset is a New World monkey. It originally lived on the Northeastern coast of Brazil, in the states of Piaui, Paraiba, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Alagoas and Bahia...
, Callithrix jacchus - Black-tufted MarmosetBlack-tufted MarmosetThe black-tufted marmoset , also known as Mico-estrela in Portuguese, is a species of New World monkey that lives primarily in the Neo-tropical gallery forests of the Brazilian Central Plateau. It ranges from Bahia to Paraná, and as far inland as Goiás, between 14 and 25 degrees south of the equator...
, Callithrix penicillata - Wied's MarmosetWied's MarmosetWied's marmoset , also known as Wied's black-tufted-ear marmoset, is a New World monkey that lives in tropical and subtropical forests of southeastern Brazil. Unlike other marmosets, Wied's marmoset lives in groups consisting of 4 or 5 females and 2 or 3 males . They are matriarchal, and only the...
, Callithrix kuhlii - White-headed MarmosetWhite-headed MarmosetThe white-headed marmoset , also known as the tufted-ear marmoset or Geoffrey's marmoset, is a marmoset endemic to Brazil....
, Callithrix geoffroyi - Buffy-headed MarmosetBuffy-headed MarmosetThe buffy-headed marmoset is a rare species of marmoset endemic to the rainforests of south-eastern Brazil. It occurs in southern Espírito Santo and possibly northern Rio de Janeiro and its distribution extends into Minas Gerais....
, Callithrix flaviceps - Buffy-tufted MarmosetBuffy-tufted MarmosetThe buffy-tufted marmoset , also known as the buffy tufted-ear marmoset or white-eared marmoset, is a New World monkey that lives in the forests on the Atlantic coast of southeast Brazil. Of all the marmosets, they have the southernmost range.Buffy-tufted marmoset resemble common marmosets but are...
, Callithrix aurita
- Common Marmoset
- Genus MicoMico (genus)Mico is a genus of New World monkeys of the family Callitrichidae, the family containing marmosets and tamarins. The genus was formerly considered a subgenus of the genus Callithrix.-Taxonomy:...
—Amazonian marmosets- Rio Acari MarmosetRio Acari MarmosetThe Rio Acari marmoset, Mico acariensis, is a marmoset species endemic to Brazil.-References:...
, Mico acariensis - Manicore MarmosetManicore MarmosetThe Manicore marmoset is a marmoset species endemic to Brazil. It was discovered less than 200 miles from Manaus, near the Madeira River. Its body is light grey, with orange legs, a black tail, a pinkish face, and naked ears. It is about 9 inches long, excluding the tail, and it has a 15-inch...
, Mico manicorensis - Silvery MarmosetSilvery MarmosetThe silvery marmoset is a New World monkey that lives in Brazil, south and east of the Amazon basin. Compared to other marmosets, they have a very isolated habitat....
, Mico argentata - White MarmosetWhite MarmosetThe white marmoset , or golden-white bare-ear marmoset, is a marmoset species endemic to Brazil.-References:...
, Mico leucippe - Emilia's MarmosetEmilia's MarmosetEmilia's marmoset , also known as Snethlage's marmoset, is a marmoset endemic to Brazil. It is found only in the Brazilian states of Pará and Mato Grosso. It was named to honour German-born Brazilian ornithologist Emilie Snethlage....
, Mico emiliae - Black-headed MarmosetBlack-headed MarmosetThe black-headed marmoset is a marmoset species endemic to Brazil.-References:*...
, Mico nigriceps - Marca's MarmosetMarca's MarmosetMarca's marmoset is a species of marmoset that is endemic to the Amazon near the Aripuanã River in Brazil. It is virtually unknown; in 2008 the IUCN noted that it had never been seen in the wild, though it has been observed since then....
, Mico marcai - Black-tailed MarmosetBlack-tailed MarmosetThe black-tailed marmoset is a species of New World monkey from central South America, where ranging from the south-central Amazon in Brazil, south through the Pantanal and eastern Bolivia, to the Chaco in far northern Paraguay...
, Mico melanura - Santarem MarmosetSantarem MarmosetThe Santarem marmoset , also known as a black and white tassel-ear marmoset is a marmoset endemic to Brazil. It is found in a very restricted area between the Rio Tapajos and lower Rio Madeira and Rio Roosevelt....
, Mico humeralifera - Maués MarmosetMaués MarmosetMaués marmoset is a marmoset endemic to Brazil. It is found only on the west bank of the Rio Maues-Acu, in the Amazonas state.-References:...
, Mico mauesi - Gold-and-white MarmosetGold-and-white MarmosetThe gold-and-white marmoset, Mico chrysoleuca, is a marmoset species endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Mico chrysoleuca - Hershkovitz's MarmosetHershkovitz's MarmosetHershkovitz's marmoset , also known as the Aripuanã marmoset is a marmoset species endemic to Brazil. The common name is a reference to American zoologist Philip Hershkovitz.-External links:*...
, Mico intermedia - Satéré MarmosetSatéré MarmosetThe Satéré marmoset is a marmoset species endemic to Brazil.-References:...
, Mico saterei - Rondon's MarmosetRondon's MarmosetRondon's marmoset , also known as the Rondônia marmoset, is a small species of monkey from the family Callitrichidae found in the south-western Amazon in Brazil. It is endemic to the state of Rondônia, and its range bordered by the Rio Mamoré, Rio Madeira, Rio Ji-Paraná, and the Serra dos Pacaás...
, Mico rondoni
- Rio Acari Marmoset
- Genus Callibella—Roosmalens' Dwarf Marmoset
- Roosmalens' Dwarf MarmosetRoosmalens' Dwarf MarmosetRoosmalens' dwarf marmoset , also known as the black-crowned dwarf marmoset, is a small New World monkey native to the Amazon Rainforest, on the east bank of the lower Madeira River, and the west bank of the Aripuanã River, in Brazil. It has the smallest distribution of any primate in Amazonia...
, Callibella humilis
- Roosmalens' Dwarf Marmoset
- Genus Cebuella—Pygmy Marmoset
- Pygmy MarmosetPygmy MarmosetThe pygmy marmoset or dwarf monkey is a New World monkey native to the rainforest canopies of western Brazil, southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia. It is one of the smallest primates, and the smallest true monkey, with its body length ranging from...
, Cebuella pygmaea
- Pygmy Marmoset