Silvery marmoset

Appearance

Silvery marmosets have a silvery-gray fur and a black tail. Their face and ears are flesh-coloured and hairless. These animals are dwarf-apes and are therefore extremely tiny. They’re only 23 centimetres tall (without counting the tail)!  Silvery marmosets have a chisel-shaped dentition with 8 molars and good incisors. They carry scent glands on their chest and close to their genitals. 

Habitat

In the wild, silvery marmosets inhabit the south and east of the Amazon Basin, on the east of Brazil (South-America). They’re mostly active during the day. Here they live in the middle layers of the trees. Using their tiny claws they’re able to climb extremely well. 

Lifestyle

Silvery marmosets live in small familiar groups. These groups consists of 2 up till 20 individuals: an adult male and female together with their offspring. They have a lot of mutual contact. 

Behaviour

Silvery marmosets create very shrill, high-pitched whistling sounds. They mark their territory with scents they leave behind on branches and trees. Whenever they see intruders they smack their lips and repeatedly move their eyebrows up and down. Thanks to their claws they can climb up tree (stems) quickly and easily, just like squirrels do! No stem is too thick or slippery for these animals. They also often walk on their hands and feet and are able to effortlessly jump from branch to branch. 

Reproduction

In the wild, silvery marmosets mostly give birth during the months of November and may. In zoos, this can happen all year round. Normally silvery marmosets give birth to a set of twins, sometimes even triplets! Caring for all these little ones is quite a daunting task. The males and other groupmates therefore take on this task, the offspring only comes to their mother whenever they need to breastfeed (for the first 6 months after birth). After about two years, the young become sexually mature. The young stay in the group for a while to observe motherhood and help with parenting. Later, they leave the group to search for a partner on their own.

Situation in the wild

Not much information is known about the status of silvery marmosets in the wild. Though their population is probably decreasing: more and more of the forests they inhabit are disappearing due to deforestation. On top of that, silvery marmosets eat the crops of local farmers, so they’re not the most popular with humans. 

At Apenheul

In Apenheul the silvery marmosets live in one of the free-roaming areas, together with the white-faced saki’s, red titi’s and the golden-headed lion tamarins.

Population management programme 

Apenheul is part of the European endangered species programme (EEP) for silvery marmosets. By working together with other zoos we ensure a genetically healthy and demographically stable population of this species is maintained in zoos.

Fun facts

• Is it bedtime? Then the silvery marmosets will safely crawl into tree hollows or dense foliage.
• Silvery marmosets absolutely love natural gum. They get this in Apenheul too, as it is an essential part of their diet. Animal caretakers place this substance in holes in some wood, the silvery marmosets get to chew this out themselves. By doing this, we stimulate their natural behaviour.