View source for Marmoset

{{Short description|Small South American monkeys}}
{{about|the new world monkey|other uses|Marmoset (disambiguation)}}
{{distinguish|Marmot|Marmozets}}
{{cs1 config |display-authors=6 |name-list-style=vanc}}
{{use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}

{{Paraphyletic group
| name = Marmosets<ref name="msw3">{{MSW3 Groves|pages=129–133}}</ref><ref name="SAP">{{cite book<!-- |last1=Rylands |first1=Anthony B. --><!-- |laser  --><!-- |first2=Russell A. -->|editor1-last=Garber |editor1-first=Paul A.|editor2-last=Estrada |editor2-first=Alejandro|editor3-last=Bicca-Marques |editor3-first=Júlio César|editor4-last=Heymann |editor4-first=Eckhard W.|editor5-last=Strier |editor5-first=Karen B.|editor5-link=Karen B. Strier|year=2008|title=South American Primates: Comparative Perspectives in the Study of Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-0-387-78704-6|chapter=The Diversity of the New World Primates (Platyrrhini): An Annotated Taxonomy|pages=23–54}}</ref>
| image = Marmoset_copy.jpg
| image_alt = Common marmoset ("Callithrix jacchus") at Tibau do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte
| image_caption = [[Common marmoset]] (''Callithrix jacchus'') at [[Tibau do Sul]], [[Rio Grande do Norte]]
| auto = yes
| parent = Callitrichidae
| includes = 
*''[[Callibella]]'' <small>[[Marc van Roosmalen|M.G.M. van Roosmalen]] & [[T. van Roosmalen]], 2003</small> (Roosmalens' dwarf marmoset)
*''[[Callimico]]'' <small>[[Alípio de Miranda-Ribeiro|Miranda-Ribeiro]], 1922</small> (Goeldi's marmoset)
*''[[Callithrix]]'' <small>[[Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben|Erxleben]], 1777</small> (Atlantic marmosets)
*''[[Cebuella]]'' <small>[[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1866</small> (pygmy marmosets)
*''[[Mico (genus)|Mico]]'' <small>[[René Lesson|Lesson]], 1840</small> (Amazonian marmosets)
| excludes = 
*''[[Leontopithecus]]'' <small>[[René Lesson|Lesson]], 1840</small> (lion tamarins)
*''[[Saguinus]]'' <small>[[Johann Centurius Hoffmannsegg|Hoffmannsegg]], 1807</small> (tamarins)
}}

The '''marmosets''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɑːr|m|ə|ˌ|z|ɛ|t|s|,_|-|ˌ|s|ɛ|t|s}}),{{refn|{{cite Merriam-Webster|marmoset|access-date=2016-01-21}}}}{{refn|{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/marmoset |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928171103/https://www.lexico.com/definition/marmoset |url-status=dead |archive-date=2021-09-28 |title=marmoset |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}} }} also known as '''zaris''' or '''sagoin''', are twenty-two [[New World monkey]] species of the [[genus|genera]] ''[[Callithrix]]'', ''[[Cebuella]]'', ''[[Callibella]]'', and ''[[Mico (genus)|Mico]]''. All four genera are part of the biological [[family (biology)|family]] [[Callitrichidae]]. The term "marmoset" is also used in reference to [[Goeldi's marmoset]], ''Callimico goeldii'', which is closely related.

Most marmosets are about {{convert|20|cm|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} long. Relative to other [[monkey]]s, they show some apparently primitive features; they have [[claws]] rather than [[nail (anatomy)|nail]]s, and tactile hairs on their wrists. They lack [[wisdom tooth|wisdom teeth]], and their [[brain]] layout seems to be relatively primitive. Their body temperature is unusually variable, changing by up to {{cvt|4|C-change}} in a day.<ref>{{cite thesis |author-link=Grey Stafford |last=Stafford |first=S.G. |year=1999 |title=Thermoregulatory and Endocrine Adaptations of Small Body Size in Primates |publisher=Kent State University |degree=PhD}}</ref> Marmosets are native to South America and have been found in [[Bolivia]], [[Brazil]], [[Colombia]], [[Ecuador]], [[Paraguay]], and [[Peru]].<ref>{{cite web |department=Primate Info Net |title=Callithrix Factsheet |website=University of Wisconsin, Madison |url=http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/links/callithrix |url-status=dead |access-date=8 November 2005 |archive-date=26 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060626170955/http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/links/callithrix }}</ref> They have also been occasionally spotted in Central America and southern Mexico.<ref name="anthro.palomar.edu">{{cite web|url=http://anthro.palomar.edu/primate/prim_5.htm |title=The Primates: New World Monkeys |access-date=2005-12-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051211200906/http://anthro.palomar.edu/primate/prim_5.htm |archive-date=2005-12-11 }}</ref> They are sometimes kept as pets, though they have specific dietary and habitat needs that require consideration.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Alina|last=Bradford|title=Facts About Marmosets|url=https://www.livescience.com/58447-marmoset-facts.html|access-date=2020-11-16|website=livescience.com|date=29 March 2017|language=en|archive-date=3 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203035103/https://www.livescience.com/58447-marmoset-facts.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to recent research, marmosets exhibit [[Chimera (genetics)#Germline chimerism|germline chimerism]], which is not known to occur in nature in any [[primate]]s other than [[callitrichid]]s.<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1073/pnas.0607426104 | last1 = Ross | first1 = C.N. | last2 = French | first2 = J.A. | last3 = Ortí | first3 = G. | title = Germ-line chimerism and paternal care in marmosets (''Callithrix kuhlii'') | journal = Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA | year = 2007 | volume = 104 | pages = 6278–82 | pmid = 17389380 | issue = 15 | pmc = 1851065 | url = http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1148&context=bioscifacpub | bibcode = 2007PNAS..104.6278R | doi-access = free | access-date = 4 November 2018 | archive-date = 26 April 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200426023646/https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1148&context=bioscifacpub | url-status = live }}</ref> 95% of marmoset [[fraternal twins]] trade blood through [[chorionic]] fusions, making them [[hematopoietic]] [[Chimera (genetics)|chimeras]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Cell|title=Generation of Chimeric Rhesus Monkeys|first1=Masahito |last1=Tachibana |first2=Michelle |last2=Sparman |first3=Shoukhrat |last3=Mitalipov |author-link3=Shoukhrat Mitalipov|date=January 2012|pmc=3264685|pmid=22225614|doi=10.1016/j.cell.2011.12.007|volume=148|issue=1–2|pages=285–95}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first1=N.|last1=Gengozian|last2=Batson|first2=JS|first3=P.|last3=Eide|title=Hematologic and Cytogenetic Evidence for Hematopoietic Chimerism in the Marmoset, Tamarinus Nigricollis|journal=Cytogenetics|year=1964|volume=10|issue=6|pages=384–393|doi=10.1159/000129828|pmid=14267132}}</ref>

==Species list==
* Genus ''[[Callithrix]]''—Atlantic marmosets
** [[Common marmoset]], ''Callithrix jacchus''
** [[Black-tufted marmoset]], ''Callithrix penicillata''
** [[Wied's marmoset]], ''Callithrix kuhlii''
** [[White-headed marmoset]], ''Callithrix geoffroyi''
** [[Buffy-headed marmoset]], ''Callithrix flaviceps''
** [[Buffy-tufted marmoset]], ''Callithrix aurita''
* Genus ''[[Mico (genus)|Mico]]''—Amazonian marmosets
** [[Rio Acari marmoset]], ''Mico acariensis''
** [[Silvery marmoset]], ''Mico argentatus''
** [[White marmoset]], ''Mico leucippe''
** [[Emilia's marmoset]], ''Mico emiliae''
** [[Black-headed marmoset]], ''Mico nigriceps''
** [[Marca's marmoset]], ''Mico marcai''
** [[Black-tailed marmoset]], ''Mico melanura''
** [[Santarem marmoset]], ''Mico humeralifer''
** [[Maués marmoset]], ''Mico mauesi''
** [[Munduruku marmoset]], ''Mico munduruku''
** [[Gold-and-white marmoset]], ''Mico chrysoleucos''
** [[Hershkovitz's marmoset]], ''Mico intermedius''
** [[Satéré marmoset]], ''Mico saterei''
** [[Rondon's marmoset]], ''Mico rondoni''
* Genus ''[[Callibella]]''—Roosmalens' dwarf marmoset
** [[Roosmalens' dwarf marmoset]], ''Callibella humilis''
* Genus ''[[Cebuella]]''—Pygmy Marmoset
** [[Western pygmy marmoset]], ''Cebuella pygmaea''
** [[Eastern pygmy marmoset]], ''Cebuella niveiventris''

==Behavior==

Marmosets are highly active, living in the upper canopy of forest trees, and feeding on [[insect]]s, [[fruit]], leaves, tack, sap, and gum. They have long lower [[incisor]]s, which allow them to chew holes in tree trunks and branches to harvest the gum inside; some species are specialised feeders on gum.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Davis |first1=Lesa C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LIe0LYBtvacC |title=The Smallest Anthropoids: The Marmoset/Callimico Radiation |last2=Ford |first2=Susan M. |last3=Porter |first3=Leila M. |date=2009 |isbn=978-1-4419-0292-4 |pages=384|publisher=Springer }}</ref>

Marmosets live in family groups of three to 15, consisting of one or two breeding females, an unrelated male, their offspring, and occasionally extended family members and unrelated individuals. Their mating systems are highly variable and can include [[Monogamy in animals|monogamy]], [[Polygyny in animals|polygyny]], and [[Polyandry in nature|polyandry]]. In most species, fraternal twins are usually born, but triplets are not unknown. Like other callitrichines, marmosets are characterized by a high degree of cooperative care of the young and some food sharing and tolerated theft. Adult males, females other than the mother, and older offspring participate in carrying infants. Father marmosets are an exceptionally attentive example of fathers within the animal kingdom, going as far as assisting their mates in giving birth, cleaning up afterbirth, and even biting the umbilical cords attaching their newborn offspring to their mothers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-28 |title=Dedicated Daddies |url=https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/story-hub/zoonooz/dedicated-daddies |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-13 |title=Six dedicated dads in the animal kingdom |url=https://www.oneearth.org/six-dedicated-dads-in-the-animal-kingdom/ |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=One Earth |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author1=Alina Bradford |date=2017-03-29 |title=Facts About Marmosets |url=https://www.livescience.com/58447-marmoset-facts.html |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=Live Science |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nature's 10 Best Animal Dads |url=https://www.treehugger.com/natures-best-animal-dads-4869297 |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=Treehugger |language=en}}</ref> Most groups scent mark and defend the edges of their ranges, but  whether they are truly territorial is unclear, as group home ranges greatly overlap.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

The favorite food of marmosets is carbohydrate-rich tree sap, which they reach by gnawing holes in trunks. Their territories are centered on the trees that they regularly exploit in this way. The smaller marmosets venture into the very top of forest canopies to hunt insects that are abundant there.<ref name="anthro.palomar.edu"/>

Marmosets use chirps, trills, and "phee" calls to communicate with each other. "Phee" calls are long-distance vocalizations that help monkeys identify each other's locations. Marmosets have been observed to use distinctive "phee" calls for the different individuals in their group, similar to a human name.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Carolyn Y. |date=August 29, 2024 |title=Marmoset monkeys call each other by name, study suggests |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/08/29/marmoset-monkey-name-study/ |access-date=September 8, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref name="orig-paper">{{Cite journal |last1=Oren |first1=Guy |last2=Shapira |first2=Aner |last3=Lifshitz |first3=Reuven |last4=Vinepinsky |first4=Ehud |last5=Cohen |first5=Roni |last6=Fried |first6=Tomer |last7=Hadad |first7=Guy P. |last8=Omer |first8=David |date=2024-08-30 |title=Vocal labeling of others by nonhuman primates |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp3757 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=385 |issue=6712 |pages=996–1003 |doi=10.1126/science.adp3757 |pmid=39208084 |bibcode=2024Sci...385..996O |issn=0036-8075 |access-date=13 September 2024 |archive-date=3 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240903115148/https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp3757 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/links/callithrix Primate Info Net ''Callithrix'' Factsheets]
* [http://www.marmosetcare.com/ Common Marmoset Care]

{{Callitrichidae nav}}

[[Category:Callitrichidae]]
[[Category:Primates of South America]]
[[Category:Mammal common names]]