Common marmoset, wistity or white-eared marmoset

Description of wistity

In size, the common marmoset can be compared to a squirrel.

The body of the common marmoset is 18.5-25 cm long, and the length of the tail is almost twice as long - 29-35 cm.

The marmoset's fur is long and soft. In mature individuals, unlike young ones, the ears are decorated with expressive tassels made of long wool. Climbing up trees, marmosets grab branches with elongated claws on their big toes. And the pointed, thin incisors help to bite through tree trunks without any problems.

Common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).

The body color of marmosets consists of a combination of black, white and fiery colors. The belly is white, the face is beige-flesh, and the ears are white, with tassels of lush wool.

Distribution and habitat of the common marmoset

Their habitats are very different - these are drained and coastal zones, and Brazilian savannas; they can also be found in the so-called tugai forests. The common marmoset is a native of Brazil, with exceptions found in Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. The average optimal temperature, comfortable for marmosets, is 19-25 degrees Celsius.

Males weigh an average of 256 grams, while the average female weighs 236 grams.

Lifestyle of the common marmoset

The common marmoset is an active and temperamental monkey that prefers daytime. These primates are impetuous and highly excitable animals, expressing their emotions with loud screams and sudden movements.

A group of marmosets consists of 3-12 adults and a dominant pair - a male and a female.

Marmosets move through trees like squirrels.

All skirmishes, as a rule, are resolved by loud and angry screams, but without fights, since male marmosets are strict pacifists. They have enough conflicts without this with various earthly inhabitants: snakes, owls and other enemies.

Varieties

Snub-nosed monkey. The golden snub-nosed monkey is found in the subtropics of China. At the same time, it climbs high into the mountains to a height of up to 3 thousand meters. Does not feel cold or bad weather.

The thin, fragile-looking individual is a real hermit. She is undemanding when it comes to food, her diet is exclusively vegetarian: leaves, grass, tree bark, pine needles.

Lives in India and China. The largest populations are found in the central reserves of these countries. The number of individuals ranges from 10 to 15 thousand.

Black rhinopithecus. The only species of monkey that lives high in the mountains in a rarefied atmosphere. The body length is up to 83 cm, the tail is slightly shorter - reaches a length of 75 cm. The head and back are covered with long black wool, the following remain light:

armpits;
neck;
belly.

Pink muzzle without hair, flattened nose, nostrils turned up. On the shoulders the fur is colored yellow-gray. Primates live in the southwestern regions of China in the evergreen massifs of the Tibetan mountains. The population numbers up to 2000 individuals. Monkeys are an endangered species.

Guizhou thin body. Adult monkeys are covered with long, thick brown hair, with a large light spot between the shoulder blades. The eyebrows and neck are painted golden, the head, palms and feet are black.

The skin of the face is light blue, without hair, the eyes and lips are colored pink. There are pronounced brow ridges above the eyes, and the nose has a flat shape.

The distribution area is very narrow; the animals live in a protected area in Guizhou Province, central China. It belongs to a very rare species, which has been assigned the protection status of an endangered species. At the beginning of the 21st century, there were no more than 750 individuals.

Roxellan's rhinopithecus. The specific name of the Chinese monkey was given on behalf of the wife of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, the beautiful Roksolana, who had an upturned nose. The species has a very bright, unusual appearance.

In animals:

orange-golden wool;
blue complexion;
snub nose

The species is very rare, endangered, listed in the Red Book. Habitat: Southern and Central China. The largest population is in the national reserve.

Burmese snub-nosed monkey. The Burmese snub-nosed monkey was discovered in 2010. Representatives of the species are black in color and have a long tail. This species has an unusual flat nose structure, which allows raindrops to easily enter the nose and cause sneezing.

The habitat of the animals is Northern Burma. The number of individuals is about 300 monkeys, the population is constantly decreasing.

Character and lifestyle

Pygmy monkeys live in the crown of trees in jungles and forests flooded with water. Marmosets deftly, like squirrels, fly to the treetops, where they easily hide from their enemies. The crown of the tree is safe for the animal, which can climb the thinnest branch where other animals cannot reach.

Primates are diurnal animals, their activity is distributed in the morning and afternoon hours. At night they go to a den located in a hollow tree to rest. These are social, talkative animals, living in family groups of about 15 individuals. The family consists of several generations:

the head of the pack is the eldest female;
two adult males and females;
offspring consisting of adolescents, toddlers and females who have not reached sexual maturity.

For the social relationships of marmosets, caring for the fur of all members of the flock is important. The animals mark their habitat with a secretion from special glands. When strangers appear, the family begins to scream loudly, expelling them from their territory.

The slightest danger causes the monkeys to instantly hide in the leaves of the tree. Marmosets are shy and very careful. Communication occurs in the form of tweeting and chirping. When danger appears, a sharp squeal appears. Almost ten sound signals were recorded in the animals.

What does it eat?

Marmosets spend most of the daytime searching for food. The animals eat:

tree sap;
fruits;
butterflies;
grasshoppers;
snails;
frogs;
spiders.

Monkeys look for insects on the ground. Juicy and ripe fruits are picked from the branches of the tree. Sometimes marmosets hunt small birds. But their favorite delicacy remains gum. To get it, monkeys cling to tree trunks with their claws and bite into the bark with their teeth.

When the integrity of the tree is damaged, it releases liquid to close the wound and prevent various harmful bacteria from entering. The pygmy monkey loves to drink this juice.

The animals get insects in a very interesting way. The jungle is home to species of wandering ants that move long distances, eating all the insects on their way.

Tiny monkeys lie down on the ground next to the path along which the ants move and catch those insects that are trying to escape from wandering predators.

Where does it live?

Animals live in the upper reaches of the Amazon, on the border with Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. Pygmy marmosets settle in trees flooded with water, located:

at the edge of the forest;
along the river bank;
in the jungle, flooded with seasonal floods.

The main part of life passes in dense crowns, sometimes they descend to the ground. They move on four legs. In trees, monkeys jump along branches, but can also jump to other trees located at a distance of up to two meters.

Diet of the white-eared marmoset

Common marmosets feed mainly on plants: latex, flowers, tree sap, mushrooms, seeds and flowers. For protein and fat, marmosets consume insects and their larvae, small reptiles, birds and their eggs.

The common marmoset is a very common species. Often kept both in zoos and at home.

Domesticated marmosets are pampered with various delicacies, milk, sprouted wheat, snails and even meat. So, they quickly become tame.

Interesting Facts

Their beauty and funny behavior make them attractive to humans. You want to stroke them, they are interesting to play with, both for children and adults.
They are unpretentious in care compared to other monkeys.
High-quality products must be included in the batteries at home. Among them is a liquid sweet porridge prepared on the basis of infant formula. Variety and rotation of porridges is necessary. Portion weight – 30 g.
The monkey loves natural fruit juices and raw fruits of the best quality.
Mandatory ingredients in the daily diet are mealworms and South American crickets.
Marmoset eats raw eggs. Quail eggs or eggs of indoor birds are excellent for these purposes. In summer it is useful to feed them grasshoppers, dragonflies, butterflies, spiders, etc.
Liquid food is extracted from the bowl using the tongue, like cats. They use their paws to pick up and bring solid food to their mouth.

Reproduction of the common marmoset

Marmosets breed once every six months. Only the alpha female produces offspring, and the alpha male and other members of the group necessarily care for the resulting offspring. Pregnancy lasts approximately 144-146 days.

The lifespan of marmosets is approximately 10 years in the wild. In zoos – 15 years (record – 18 years).

At one time, the female gives birth to 2-3 cubs of 25 g each. At first, the babies move on the female’s stomach. After 7 days, the males take care of the little cubs, giving them to the females only for feeding. After 2-3 months, the cubs can already get their own food and become independent.

Little devil

2K 6 min.

So it happened, a big invasion of monkeys: for the first time in 12 years, a stream of primates poured into our country - plush, chocolate, stearin, wooden, ceramic, gingerbread and even platinum with emerald eyes. Somehow we take the eastern calendar with its animal cycles very close to our hearts... And now the time of the Monkey has come - and we have to do something about it.

Photo: DIOMEDIA / Ingram Publishing

If you respond to the Year of the Monkey to the maximum, you need to get a gorilla or orangutan. And, the funny thing is, theoretically this is quite possible. Although it’s better not to, because a personal gorilla is about as intelligent as a lion living in a house or a pack of smiling hyenas walking around the property, only the gorilla is smarter, and therefore even more dangerous. Therefore, let's be more modest and, for the first monkey in our life, take a shot at, for example, a tiny marmoset.

Marmosets come from different regions of South America, and there are many variations of them. And one of the most unpretentious and suitable representatives of this family (Callitrichidae) for a beginning monkey owner is the white-eared marmoset (about 100-120 thousand rubles). It’s not that it was completely easy with her, it’s just that the white-eared one is one of the few marmosets that can live alone. Some other monkeys of this family categorically do not want to exist without the company of their own kind, and therefore they have to be kept in pairs. And you can take one white-eared one, although she herself, of course, would still prefer good company, it’s more familiar to her, so if you are able to ensure their happiness, buy two at once. In the absence of a real pack, you will become its family, get ready to match.

Another advantage of the white-eared marmoset is its size: it is not so small that it is scary to handle, and not so large that it is difficult to handle. All of it is at most 30 centimeters (usually less) of the monkey itself and another half meter of tail, and all this splendor weighs 300 grams (usually less), that is, approximately the same as a very well-fed hamster. The most expressive part of this marmoset is its ears, decorated with long strands of white fur, which makes the monkey slightly reminiscent of a first-grader whose mother went a little overboard with the white nylon bow. The resemblance to a first-grader is aggravated by the sadness on her face and the incredible touching nature of her appearance as a whole. In a word, you want to somehow caress the marmoset, hug it, feel sorry for it and cheer it up - and, in principle, it doesn’t mind. But you shouldn’t press her too close to your chest: this baby is very fragile and delicate, our excessive love can literally crush her.

You need to gently stroke her, tickle her tummy, let her examine your ears and pockets, touch your nose with her fingers - in general, you yourself will figure out what exactly your marmoset likes: they are all as different as you and I, and each of them I like something of my own. Well, if the monkey starts picking through your hair and looking for something with interest, you can be proud of yourself: you managed to win its respect and from now on it considers you its boss. Does this mean that she will obey you - for example, she will come at the first call, begin to regularly give her paw and carry out the command “die”? Never mind! You shouldn’t think that these tiny monkeys are stupid, but even the best marmosets don’t intend to learn how to use the toilet - a diaper, a cat litter box, and so on, and they can’t put diapers on them, because diapers of that micro size don’t exist. For them, your entire house will be a toilet, and you also need to be prepared for this. That is, if a marmoset, busy swinging on the chandelier, gets impatient at that moment, she will not hold back. In addition, these cute creatures endlessly mark their territory just in case... In general, you will have to do cleaning often. And if your marmoset lives in a cage all the time, you will have to clean the cage often.

The marmoset can be allowed to walk around the house, but this is not at all necessary. Well, this monkey should live either in a terrarium or in an enclosure with a mesh as fine as possible, because otherwise this little one will certainly run away. Of course, the terrarium or cage should be spacious and high, equipped with all sorts of shelves, snags, vines, branches, drinking bowls, feeders and an ultraviolet lamp. But there is no need to put a mirror for the marmoset or provide her with toys; she is not particularly interested in all this. Marmosets, of course, play - but not at all like daughters and mothers, so they don’t need dolls: they jump, run, climb, swing and climb everywhere, and that’s completely enough for them. And sometimes they, as if in thought, stop running around, sit down at the wall of their cage and begin to observe the behavior of their owners. What if they eat apples? And if they eat, then the hand of a poor beggar will probably stick through the bars... Because all the apples in the world are marmosets! However, although their appetite is quite decent, it is not excessive; the marmoset knows its limits. And even if he doesn’t know, all the excess will still burn out in the process of endless jumping and running.

In a moment of danger, the marmoset demonstrates power - its eyes widen, its fur stands up, its ears move threateningly, it gesticulates expressively with its eyebrows, as a result it becomes even funnier than usual.

Before letting the monkey out of the cage, you need to check that all the windows and doors are closed: if he gets out into the street, that’s it, he won’t be caught. And it also makes sense to tidy up all sorts of valuable little things, beads and rings, otherwise an inquisitive marmoset will take them away. Well, while she’s walking around the house, it’s best not to take your eyes off her: driven by powerful curiosity, this hyperactive baby will look everywhere, swing on everything, touch all the wires and transplant all the flowers. Of course, it won’t cause enormous damage, it’s painfully small, so it won’t knock down a toilet, and it won’t be able to handle tightly locked drawers, but it’s easy to harm—and first of all, to itself. For example, what will stop her from sticking her thin finger into an interesting socket? Or climb into a hole where you can’t get out? Or steal a knife and, waving it like Budyonny’s saber, commit hara-kiri? Or cleverly hide on the door, but you won’t notice it and pinch it? Or just step on it while it settles down to rustle something under your feet? How much does such a small fry need... Or will she decide to add to her healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, insects and baby food something tempting, but extremely harmful, and will steal something salty, sweet, fried, fatty, smoked, spicy from the table... In short, the happy owner of a marmoset is like the parent of several extremely active, enterprising and strict-dieting babies. Only an eye and an eye on them will be needed not for a couple of years, but for at least a decade and a half. Not everyone can bear such a burden of responsibility - some owners of marmosets, having been touched for a couple of months, then run to the breeder and ask to take this playful charm back. And the marmoset, by the way, has already gotten used to its people, even somehow fell in love with them, and a change of place of residence for this tender baby is a big stress. These cute animals know how to love, because it is believed that in the wild they create monogamous pairs and remain devotedly faithful to each other all their lives. And what caring parents they are! Well, okay - mothers are almost always caring. But the marmosets’ fathers also behave perfectly, and this is already rare.

Marmosets love to talk, they chirp a lot - they chirp like birds, very sweetly and very quietly. Well, if you scare them, they will, of course, scream - and who wouldn’t scream? And even in a moment of danger, the marmoset demonstrates power - its eyes pop up, its fur stands up, its ears move threateningly, its eyebrows expressively gesticulate, and as a result it becomes even funnier than usual. And if they really push her, she might bite. Well, firstly, she won’t bite off much, and secondly, it’s their own fault, why did they let the animal go?