The Santarem marmoset[1] (Mico humeralifer), also called the Black-and-white tassel marmoset, is a marmoset native to the Amazon and Pará states of Brazil.
- The scientific name “humeralifer” roughly translates to “to wear a shoulder cloak” and refers to the light gray fur coat that covers the animal’s shoulders.
- There are also whitish patches of fur on the hips. Still, otherwise, the body is black with irregular gray patches on the back and sides and yellowish underparts.
- The limbs are black except for the gray fur that extends from the fur to the outer surface of the arms.
- The non-prehensile tail is 31-37 cm long and has black and gray rings; all other Mico species except one lack these characteristic tail rings.
- The face is dark, with a grayish forehead. Interestingly, these Brazilian monkeys have pink skin patches around their eyes and mouth.
- The area around and between the eyes also has relatively little fur compared to other parts of the head and body.
- Like many marmosets, there are large tufts of hair on the ears, but the Santarem marmoset is one of the few species that grows hair on both the outside and inside of the pinna.
- The tufts are beige to gray in color and, as the alternative common name suggests, are shaped like a tassel extending laterally from the head.
