Geoffroy’s marmosets are small primates, easily recognized for their puffed white cheeks, face, and neck. They are sometimes called the tufted-ear or white-faced marmoset.
Habitat
Geoffroy’s marmosets live an arboreal, treetop lifestyle in South American rainforests!
Size
8 inches with 11-inch tails
Diet and Lifestyle
Geoffroy’s marmosets are diurnal and arboreal which means they are awake during the day and live in the treetops. They are omnivorous with a diverse diet of fruits, insects, small animals, and sap and gum from trees. In fact, they
have a special set of teeth to hammer into and scoop out this sugar-rich gum! At the Long Island Aquarium, our mammal trainers produce our own gum from plant material and sugar and hide it in toys around the exhibit to enrich our marmosets’ exhibit.
Smart Little Monkeys
In the wild, Geoffroy’s marmosets have observed to follow trains of plundering army ants. The ants flush out many hiding insects and, as the bugs flee from the ants, the marmosets can find themselves easy meals!
What was that sound? Is that a bird?
No! Those chirping sounds that you are hearing are the high-pitched vocalizations of our marmosets that they use to communicate with one another!
Lightweight Monkeys
These primates are tiny and can weigh as much as a juice box! Males may only weigh about 1/2 lb. to 3/4 lb. in the wild and females weigh only about 1/4 lb. In facilities, they can weigh up to a pound due to a reliable, healthy diet!
You may hear some high-pitched chirping near our marmosets. Though they sound like bird calls, they are actually the high-pitched vocalizations of our marmosets, communicating with one another.