Welcome

http://animal-wildlife.blogspot.com/2011/10/cottontop-tamarin.html

 Welcome

Hello Everybody,

This blog, created for Sociology 211, will include posts about endangered primates and their Conservation. By spreading the world, I hope to stop the endangerment of these poor animals and prevent future extinction. 

Cotton-Top Tamarin

Lets start off with the Cotton-Top Tamarin, Saguinus Oedipus.

These creatures are found in a small region of northwest Colombia. They live in both humid and dry tropical forests. They are seen leaping through the canopy. These animals are usually less than a pound, 9.1 inches tall, and have a long tail of 10.5 inches. On average they live 13.5 years in the wild. Their diet consists of insects, fruit, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians.

Group Dynamics: They live in groups of 2-7 individuals, with 1-2 breeding males and females. They are usually friendly, except for intruders. The breeding female is found to be more aggressive than the breeding male. They also groom each other to strengthen bonds.

Communication: They communicate through chemical and vocal signals. Scientist have identified at least 38 distinct vocalizations. They flick their tongue, bare teeth, and move the white fan around their necks as a warning. They also use their scents to mark territory and to signal ovulation.

Ecological Role: They play an important role as seed disperses. They consume and digest seeds, then expel them through their stools. Their stools have high rates of successful germination (sprouting of seeds), but scientists believe they consume these seeds to help eliminate parasites in their digestive tract.

Conservation Status and Threats

Conservation status is Critically Endangered. Only 6,000 remain and two-thirds of their habitat has been destroyed through deforestation. Cotton-Top Tamarins are also threatened by the pet trade and hunting. Over 40,000 Tamarins have been caught and sold as pets or for scientific research. With only 6,000 in the wild, the captive Cotton-Top Tamarins out number the number of wild. 

Conservation Efforts

Parque Nacional Natural Paramillo, Santuarío de Fauna y Flora Los Colorados, and Reserva Forestal de Montes de Maria serve as refuge for the Cotton-Top Tamarins. It was Anne Savage and her team that began researching La Reserva Forestal Protectora Serranía de Coraza-Montes de Marìa for conservation in 1996. Along with conservation, there's a project called Fundacion Titi, that works to inform the public of the endangered status. The foundation is also working along side of NASA to find which habitats are best to protect.

Have a wonderful day.

                                                                        Reference: 

    Fern, Laura, and Eric Starr. “Cotton-Top Tamarin.” New England Primate Conservancy, Mar.2019 https://www.neprimateconservancy.org/cotton-top-tamarin.html.

http://thelife-animal.blogspot.com/2012/10/cottontop-tamarin.html