Common marmoset

Description

These small primates are incredibly agile and fast and are able to leap from branch to branch in the treetops. They have white tufts of hair on the sides of their heads, which is where they get their name. They also have a white patch on the forehead and the hair all over their bodies is a greyish colour, which seems lighter or darker depending on how the light hits them. The rings on their long tails are darker. 

Ethology

Like all primates, they are very sociable and live in groups of 5-15 individuals with a very marked hierarchy. They are diurnal and move with agility. The males are territorial and mark their territory with secretions from their glands, although they will share territory with other titis. After a gestation of about 150 days, the female has 1-2 infants, who are generally looked after by the males. 

Interesting facts

It is one of the titi monkey species that is most at risk from habitat destruction. Although the populations have been affected by the invasion of their natural habitat for the creation of agricultural cops, they have adapted to live with human beings. These animals have learnt to take advantage of these plantations and use them as a food source, to the point that they have become pests.