The family of clawed monkeys (or marmosets) is so named because, unlike other primates, on all fingers except the large toes, they have claws rather than nails. This allows funny little animals to easily climb tree trunks and spend their whole lives there, almost without going down to the ground.
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The evolutionarily clawed monkey is adapted to life in the upper layers of the Amazonian selva. Among the foliage of huge trees, enmeshed by vines, in dampness and twilight, between the year-round ripening nuts and fruits, these primates found themselves a comfortable haven for survival.
Tiny, in comparison with other monkeys, the animal can weigh only 35 grams, such as, for example, the dwarf marmoset Chichiko. By the way, the length of her body is only 15 cm. And the largest primate in this family is lion tamarin - 30 cm in length.
What does a clawed monkey look like?
It is not for nothing that they are called igrukovs - they look very funny: lion tamarines, for example, have a long gray mustache, tufts of marmosets on the ears grow bunches of long hair that look like flowers, and the Oedipus Tatar is crowned with a white hair crown.
The "toy" look, playfulness, silky hair and motley coloring always attracted the attention of a person to babies. Even the conquistadors could not resist their charm: a small monkey from the clawed family has long been transported by them to Europe. At one time, in the era of the last Louis, it was fashionable to keep these charms in salons instead of lapdogs or cats. Moreover, these monkeys are tamed quite quickly, and they breed well in captivity. True, all this did not prevent some clawed monkeys from becoming extremely rare in their homeland.
Small Clawed Monkey: Kallimiko
These little monkeys (body length up to 22 cm) are one of those listed in the Red Book. Kallimiko have a soft long hair and are decorated with a small mane on the top of the head, neck and shoulders. The muzzle and extremities are black, and their fur is brownish-black with yellow and white marks. The held marmosets, as these monkeys are also called, have been studied extremely poorly.
It is known that, in addition to juicy fruits, they are very fond of insects, move on four paws and lead a daily life.
Like all members of the family, the father wears newborn babies, giving them to the female only for feeding. By the way, if the baby for some reason does not want to get on the back of his father, his mother bites him, demanding to leave her alone. Up to a year, parents take care of the offspring, after which the cubs become independent and are expelled from the pack.
Small clawed monkey: yellow-headed marmoset
This endemic species of monkeys living in Brazil is also endangered. They are very noticeable, thanks to the hair brushes growing on the ears and a long tail. The favorite food of yellow-headed marmosets is the juice of fragrant acacia, which they lick with a hole made in the trunk. When the fruits ripen, the crumbs switch to them.
Offspring in their family groups produces one alpha female, passing this "title" by inheritance to her daughter. And the whole flock (up to 15 individuals) nurses and pampers cubs. This cute little clawed monkey is often caught for sale as a pet.
