The pygmy marmoset is the world’s smallest monkey. Photo taken by Rhett A. Butler, March 2010 in Amacayacu National Park, Colombia, near the border with Peru.
The Pygmy Marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea), the world’s smallest monkey, is native to the rainforest of the western part of the Amazon basin — specifically Western Brazil, southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia. It reaches a maximum length of 16 cm (6.3 inches) and weighs up to 140 grams (5 oz).
The Pygmy Marmoset has an unusual feeding habit: tapping trees for sap using its chisel-like incisor teeth. Like human rubber-tappers, the Pygmy Marmoset is careful not to over-tap its source of sustenance. The species also fees on on fruit, leaves, insects, and small vertebrates, including reptiles and amphibians.
Pygmy marmosets generally live in family groups consisting of an adult pair and a few offspring.
