Golden Lion Tamarin

Tiny, agile, and highly social, the golden lion tamarin has captivated people the world over. The
tamarin has become a flagship species, highlighting the demise of its Tropical rain forest home.
The golden lion tamarin’s long, silky fur, particularly at the shoulders, gives it a lionlike mane.
Tamarins are some of the smallest members of the primate family.

Natural History
Tamarins are diurnal (active during the day), feeding on insects, small vertebrates, and fruit.
Tamarins have very specific habitat requirements; they occupy dense, low-elevation tropical rain
forest. They live in territorial family units of up to 15 individuals. Groups usually are composed of
one breeding pair and their offspring or other close relatives.

Causes of Endangerment
Habitat Loss and Overexploitation
The coastal tropical rain forests of Brazil where the golden lion tamarins live is also the region
preferentially settled and cleared for agriculture and ranching. These areas are most pressured
by today’s growing human population. In addition to habitat destruction, golden lion tamarins
were hunted for food and captured for the pet trade, display in zoos, and biomedical research.
Tamarins also were persecuted by local people who mistakenly believed that they carried yellow
fever and malaria.

Daniel Stancini
Porfiro