Santarem Marmoset

• Common Name: Santarém Marmoset
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1812
• Monkey Size: 20 to 27 cm (7.9 to 10.6 in)
• Skin Color(s): Black
• Habitat: Forest, rainforest
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Native Countries: Brazil

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.

• Like other members of its genus, the Santarem marmoset moves through the lower parts of the forest canopy and feeds mainly on insects and fruits, supplementing its diet with small lizards and frogs and tree-derived rubber.
• They live in small family groups, usually around 6 members, although groups of up to 15 have been reported.
• Santarem marmosets make long cries with their rapidly vibrating tongue, designed to sound like a cricket, and shorter chirps.
• Like most other common marmosets, they usually give birth to fraternal twins twice a year.
• Juveniles are said to have a black stripe across their heads and furry but not bushy ears.