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Callimico goeldii Region: Tropical rainforests in eastern Peru, eastern Ecuador, western Brazil, Colombia, and Bolivia |
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 Species Survival PlansTM are multizoo breeding programs for endangered species. Conservation Status: Endangered  |
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A Monkey with a Mystery Hard to find Small, elusive, and sparsely distributed, callimicos are difficult to observe in the wild. These primates inhabit the dense forests of the upper Amazon River basin. With black to brownish-black fur, they are the darkest of all the primates in the tamarin and marmoset family. They have thick, soft, fur with a short mane atop the head, and jaw-whiskers on each side of the face. They have long, slender fingers with clawlike nails that are good for digging out insects from narrow crevices in rocks and trees. It’s in the numbers So what is the mystery about callimicos? It is how they are related to the rest of the marmosets and tamarins. Callimicos share many traits with these other small monkeys. But the tiny callimicos have a couple of big differences that some scientists think set them distinctly apart from their tamarin and marmoset relatives. Callimicos have three molar teeth, while other tamarins and marmosets have just two. Another difference is that callimicos give birth to a single baby, while tamarins and marmosets usually give birth to two. What is the big deal about these small number differences? Mystery solved? Well, scientists now think that callimicos will soon ("soon" being thousands of years in the evolutionary time frame!) have only two molars like the other members of the family. It is thought that these primates are all in the middle of becoming smaller over time---they are adapting to better hunt their tiny, crevice-loving prey, insects. Because molars are good for grinding tough vegetation, and tamarins and marmosets no longer eat vegetation, they have lost their third molars. Experts suspect that callimicos will lose theirs too...but it is happening a little more slowly. That is the best answer science can come up with to explain the differences---at least for now. Time together Callimicos live in extended family groups of about six individuals. Generally there is an adult male, one or more adult breeding females, and offspring of various ages. A callimico troop is tightly bound. They rarely venture farther than 50 feet from other members of the troop. A troop stays in contact visually---they have excellent eyesight---and by calling to each other. Nearly 40 different types of vocalizations have been identified, some which keep the troop together, and others that warn of danger. A callimico out of sight or call-range from its troop is in real danger of being eaten by a predator. Snakes, cats, and birds of prey all will make a meal of this pint-sized primate. Low-rise, high-rise Callimicos sleep in the lower part of the forest, usually below the 16-foot level, but they sometimes forage on the ground. When they get the urge to break their all-insect diet, they will climb as high as 100 feet to dine on fruit. When some animals are threatened they take to the trees and climb as high as they can. Callimicos, on the other hand, bolt downwards when there is danger to hide among the lower branches, vines, roots, and shrubs Just the facts Body length: 8.5 to 9.0 inches (21.6 to 23.4 centimeters Tail length: 10 to 12.8 inches (25.5 to 32.4 centimeters) Weight: 14.1 to 18.9 ounces (393 to 860 grams) Distribution: Sparsely distributed in eastern Peru, eastern Ecuador, western Brazil, Colombia, and Bolivia Habitat: Tropical forest with a heavy shrub-layer, swamps, and moist areas next to rivers and streams Wild diet: Insects, spiders, lizards, frogs, fruits, and fungus BZ diet: Commercially prepared canned "marmoset diet," steamed sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, cucumber, apple, banana, papaya, grapes, hardboiled eggs, peanuts, mealworms, crickets Callimicos at Brookfield Zoo Brookfield Zoo participates in the Callimico Species Survival Plan (SSP), a team effort between zoos that carefully plans the breeding of callimicos. The Coordinator of the Callimico SSP is Brookfield Zoo’s Curator of Primates. Brookfield Zoo is also directly involved in field research of callimicos, and supports educational school programs in Bolivia that teach children about these and other rare primates. Links |