Pygmy Marmoset

Pygmy Marmoset

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Primates
Genus : Cebuella
Species : C. pygmaea

Length : 6in (15cm)
Weight : 5oz (140g)

IUCN Status : Least Concern

The ever so adorable Zooborns site alerted me to the birth of twin Pygmy Marmosets at the Perth Zoo, and I just had to look into these tiny, tiny little primates. They are the smallest members of their entire order, with adults measuring barely half a foot long! These diminutive monkeys are found east of the Andes in the upper Amazon Basin.

Pygmy Marmoset

Pygmy Marmosets are rather unusual among monkeys because they form monogamous breeding pairs. Females also typically give birth to twins, rather than to a single child, and both parents help to care for the youngsters. Pygmy Marmosets live in small social groups where only one female actually breeds. The other members of the group are often older offspring who help to take care of their younger siblings.

Tree gum and sap are the favorite foods of Pygmy Marmosets; they gauge holes into the tree trunks and strip away the bark to get to the gum and sap. They also have specialized incisors to help accomplish this important task, and spend up to 2/3 of their feeding time dealing with trees and sap. Pygmy Marmosets also feed on insects and fruits.

It is difficult to know how many Pygmy Marmosets their are. Their habitat and small size makes it quite difficult to count them. IUCN lists them as being of Least Concern, though their population is decreasing due to habitat loss and collection for the pet trade. In the wild their major predators are birds of prey. They live about a decade, and up to twenty years in captivity.

Pygmy Marmoset

Pygmy Marmoset

Kingdom : Animalia

Phylum : Chordata

Class : Mammalia

Order : Primates

Genus : Cebuella

Species : C. pygmaea



Length : 6in (15cm)

Weight : 5oz (140g)



IUCN Status : Least Concern



The ever so adorable Zooborns site alerted me to the birth of twin Pygmy
Marmosets at the Perth Zoo, and I just had to look into these tiny,
tiny little primates. They are the smallest members of their entire
order, with adults measuring barely half a foot long! These diminutive
monkeys are found east of the Andes in the upper Amazon Basin.

Pygmy Marmoset

Pygmy Marmosets are rather unusual among monkeys because they form
monogamous breeding pairs. Females also typically give birth to twins,
rather than to a single child, and both parents help to care for the
youngsters. Pygmy Marmosets live in small social groups where only one
female actually breeds. The other members of the group are often older
offspring who help to take care of their younger siblings.



Tree gum and sap are the favorite foods of Pygmy Marmosets; they gauge
holes into the tree trunks and strip away the bark to get to the gum and
sap. They also have specialized incisors to help accomplish this
important task, and spend up to 2/3 of their feeding time dealing with
trees and sap. Pygmy Marmosets also feed on insects and fruits.



It is difficult to know how many Pygmy Marmosets their are. Their
habitat and small size makes it quite difficult to count them. IUCN
lists them as being of Least Concern, though their population is
decreasing due to habitat loss and collection for the pet trade. In the
wild their major predators are birds of prey. They live about a decade,
and up to twenty years in captivity.

Babakotia

(Image Source)

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Primates
Suborder : Strepsirrhini
Infraorder : Lemuriformes
Family : Palaeopropithecidae
Genus : Babakotia
Species : radofilai

Length : Around 4ft (1.2m)
Weight : 20-40lbs (9-18kg)

Status : Extinct since around 1000CE

Babakotia is an interesting species that is referred to as a "Sloth Lemur." They were members of the Lemur infraorder, and lived on Madagascar, but they had numerous traits in common with sloths. Anatomically, Babkotia had elongated arms, curved digits, and mobile ankle and hip joints. They are a great example of convergent evolution, which is when two different types of creature evolve similar traits based upon a similar lifestyle.

Babakotia was named after a Malagasy name for the Indri Lemur (or Babakoto), which is a relative of Babakotia. Based on their dentition, Babakotia was an herbivore that fed on leaves with an occasional supplement of seeds and fruit.

It is believed that Babakotia went extinct rather recently, possibly as recent as 1,000 years ago, which was shortly after humans arrived on Madagascar. The only radiocarbon dating done places the found fossils around 3,000BCE. There were a handful of other Sloth Lemurs, all members of family Palaeopropithecidae, but the entire family is now extinct.

Japanese Macaque

(Image Source)

When you think of primates, you probably think of tropical environments, or at least warm weather climates. Such is not always the case for the Japanese Macaque, the northernmost non-human primate in the entire world. They inhabit three of the four large islands of Japan, (all but Hokkaido) and not only do they live far north latitude-wise, but they also live in elevations of up to 9,600 feet. Of course, it should be noted that in the lower elevation, southern areas of their range, the temperatures do get to be sub-tropical. But other population live in absolutely frigid conditions, making the climate range of the population as a whole very diverse.

Even though their tails are very short, Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata) are classified as monkeys. In fact, one of their other common names is "Snow Monkey." In the winter months, the cold-weather Macaques save energy by moving less and sunning themselves. Some tribes even locate hot springs in order to stay warm, though the monkeys are very picky about who gets to bath and where. They live in very rigid, hierarchical communities that can number up to 100 individuals.

(Image Source)

One really interesting tidbit about these communities is that they pass information along between their members. It is by this spreading of information that hot springs where discovered as a source of warmth. One notable Macaque, a female named Imo, learned how to clean and flavor sweet potatoes in salt water, and passed that information along as well. Young Macaques have even learned how to roll snowballs, a behavior that servers no purpose other than for having fun.

Japanese Macaques are diurnal and omnivorous. They are known to consume 213 species of plant, making them very non-picky eaters. Macaques themselves are preyed upon by Feral Dogs, Raptors, and Raccoon Dogs. While the monkeys have been killed by humans, they are listed as being of Least Concern with a stable population trend.

Siamang

Siamangs are the largest of the Gibbons, apes of the family Hylobatidae that live in tropical environments of the Eastern Hemisphere. Siamangs can measure a meter from head to rump, and weigh up to 30lbs. They can be found in the rainforests of Malaysia and Indonesia.

(Image Source)

Siamangs are black in color, and have a sac on their throats that allows them to greatly amplify sound. They are able to produce the loudest sounds of any Gibbon. There is slight sexual dimorphism, with males being larger than the females. Like all apes, Siamangs do not have tails, and their bodies are more upright oriented.

When on the ground, Siamangs are more or less bipedal. When in the trees however (which is about 80% of the time) they move by brachiation, which is hand over hand swinging. During this movement, they are able to carry things with their feet. Their arm span can be as large as 1.5m.

One of the most interesting facts about the Siamang is that it is a species that forms monogamous bonds. This is rare for an ape. They live in family groups comprised of that pair and up to four children. They forage for food together (mostly leaves and fruits, but sometimes insects and birds) and groom each other. Siamangs have a gestation period of 7.5 months, and the young are born quite helpless. They will not be weaned for two years and after that they continue to stay with the parents for a bit longer.

Ham

I've had a really fun time putting together this theme week, and wouldlike to end on a happy note with Ham the Astrochimp! The first ape in space!

Ham post-mission
(Image Source)

There had been several animals in space before Ham. Mice, Dogs, andMonkeys had all been launched, but the purpose of Ham's trip was toprove something beyond survivability. Ham was trained to performcommands, so that reaction times could be recorded and assessed.

He was born in Camaroon in 1956, and in 1959 was brought to HollomanAir Force base, which would be the inspiration for his name: Holloman Aerospace MedicalCenter. (He was originally named #65, and didn't obtain an actual nameuntil after his successful mission) There were originally 40 animals inthe program, but it was eventually whittled down to just six,including Ham. These six chimpanzees were placed in Mercury mock-upsand trained to pull levers when prompted by lights. If they performed the task correctly, they were given a banana pellet; incorrect answers resulted in a small electric shock to the feet.

On January 31, 1961, Ham was selected to be the test subject aboardProject Mercury capsule MR-2. The original plan was that he wouldtravel to an altitude of 115 miles, and reach a speed of 4,400 mph.Technical difficulties resulted in an altitude of 157 miles, and a topspeed of 5,857 mph. There was a temporary loss of pressure in thecabin, but Ham's suit protected him from harm. He was up for 16.5minutes, including 6.6 minutes of weightlessness.

(Image Source)

Ham was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean later that day, and was foundto be in overall good health, albeit fatigued and a bit dehydrated. Theresults of Ham's test showed that reaction time in space was only abit slower than on earth, proving that tasks could be performed. Alittle more than three months later, the United States sent their firsthuman being, Alan Shepard, into space.

Ham retired from space flight and went to live in the National Zoo from1963-1980. He was moved to the North Carolina Zoological Park in 1980,where he lived until his death at age 26 in 1983. Ham's skeleton wasretained by the Armed Forces for ongoing testing, and the rest of hisremains were buried at the International Space Hall of Fame in New Mexico. A plaque and a memorial garden mark the spot.

Sifaka Lemur

There are nine species of Sifaka Lemur that comprise genus Propithecus, and like all Lemurs they are found on the African Island of Madagascar. They are members of the Primate order, making these guys our distant, distant cousins. Some of you may remember a discovery that came out a few years ago about finding "the missing link." This was actually a 47 million year old Lemur-type species that could be the common ancestor for all primates, including humans.

Image from Animal Photos

The Sifaka Lemurs stand apart from other Lemur species and genera because of their movement. They are upright-standing creatures, and get around by jumping with help from their extremely powerful legs. In trees, they can jump several meters, and on the ground they hop from place to place, doing what some refer to as the Sifaka Dance. The video below illustrates this movement wonderfully.

Sifaka Lemurs receive their names from the "Shif-auk" call that they make. They are herbivores, feeding on leaves, flowers, fruits, and bark. They, like many other primates, living in small social groups, usually consisting of 3-10 members. While there may be multiple sexually mature females, only one of them breeds each year, and that females usually have dominance over males.

All species of Sifaka Lemur are threatened by habitat loss and hunting. Golden-Crowned Sifakas are now listed as critically endangered, with less than 10,000 in existence.

 

Moustached Tamarin

I try and write about so many random animals that when I realize I've neglected a specific type (like spiders and sharks in the past) I feel I need to rectify the situation immediately! I've never written about a primate! They are the creatures most genetically similar to ourselves and yet in three months I have not once mentioned them. For shame! So today we're going to talk about the Moustached Tamarin, a tiny member of the Primate order that I think looks pretty darn terrific.

Image from BlueAnimalBio

The Mustached Tamarin, or Saguinus mystax, is a small little guy. Their body length (tail not included) is between 25 and 35 cm, with a non-prehensile tail adding on an additional 30-40cm. They are identified by their entirely black body... save for a white mustache that gives them their name. (Though the Emperor Tamarin, a fellow genus member, has an even more spectacular 'stache.)

Mustached Tamarins are omnivores, and feed off of fruits, insects, and other small animals. They are found in the tropical rainforests of Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. Mustached Tamarins are diurnal, arboreal primates, and they live in small communities of unrelated males and females. From a reproductive standpoint, most societies are polyandrous, meaning one females has multiple male mates. Monogamy and polygyny (one male with multiple females) is also sometimes seen. Female Tamarins often give birth to large twins that may weight 25% of the mother's overall weight. The entire group works together to raise all of the infants.

There are three subspecies of Mustached Tamarin, and all are relatively abundant within their native areas.  Thankfully their are no real threats to their current population, and thus they are listed by the IUCN as being of Least Concern.