Golden Lion Tamarin
Basic Information:
Scientific Name: Leontopithecus rosalia
Habitat: Golden lion tamarins are native to the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil.
Diet: Golden lion tamarins eat fruits, insects, and lizards.
Size: 0.7 to 0.8 feet tall / 1.6 to 1.8 feet long
Weight: Around 1 pound
Lifespan: 11.6 years according to AZA Species Survival Statistics
Distribution Map:
I.U.C.N. Conservation Status:
What does this mean?
Endangered – a species determined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (I.U.C.N.) to possess a very high risk of extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 50 to more than 70 percent over the previous 10 years (or three generations), a current population size of fewer than 250 individuals, or other factors.
Our Golden Lion Tamarins:
Kane (Male) – Born April 30, 2017
Arie (Female) – Born March 29, 2015
About Golden Lion Tamarins:
GLT’s are endangered in their native forest habitats of Brazil. Their habitat has been fragmented into small, unconnected areas, each area only capable of supporting a small number of groups. Without intervention by zoos, wildlife organizations, and the Brazilian government, inbreeding would soon lead to the local extinction of many of these small populations of tamarins, and eventually of the entire species. More than 30 years of conservation efforts have increased the wild population from fewer than 200 to today’s estimated population of 1,600. In order for the wild population to continue to be viable and self-sustaining, the numbers must increase to 2,000 by the year 2025.
Did You Know?!
- Female golden lion tamarins usually give birth to twins. All the members of her group will help her to take care of the babies, but the dad helps the most.
- As of 2011, there were only approximately 2,000 golden lion tamarins left in the world: 1,500 in the wild and another 500 in zoos.
- Golden lion tamarins share their meals with others in their social group through either offering bits of food to others through active sharing OR by letting others steal bit of their food from them through passive sharing.