The weekend is just around the corner and I wanted all of you to start it off on the right foot (since we all know the weekend really starts today). I figured the best way to get your weekend going would be to find the cutest animal I could for today’s fact. Ladies and gentleman, I give you the Pygmy Marmoset which is also known as the Dwarf Monkey.
The pygmy marmoset is the smallest true monkey and can be found in the rainforests of South America. Just how small is this little guy? They are 14-16 cm (5.5-6.3″) long, excluding the tail, and weigh between 120-140 grams (4.2-4.9 oz). At this size you would have absolutely no problem holding these guys in your hand. If you think they are small then check out the size of the babies in the picture at the end of this post!
What does an animal this small actually feed on? Well, they have adapted some unique features that allows them to feast on the yummy sap hidden in the trees. These little marmosets have long forward-turned incisors which are the same length as their canines. They use these specialized teeth to gnaw through the bark to get that sap they love so much.
The pygmy marmosets have an interesting family life as well. They live in groups of 2 to 6 members but only one female in that group will give birth. A female will give birth to a set of twins each time. Isn’t getting twins a parents worst nightmare? The entire family will take care of the little babies and will ensure the twins eat before anyone else. I am pretty sure the cute twins could get whatever they wanted from their family members.
Pygmy Marmoset Fast Fact: The pygmy marmoset may be small but these little guys sure can jump. Believe it or not this tiny monkey can jump as far as 16 feet!
That just about does it for me! I am flying out early tomorrow morning so wish me luck. I will still try to respond to comments on a regular basis so please don’t be shy about leaving comments. I love hearing from all of you! Have a great weekend everybody!
See me leave a “girly” comment here: Those babies are sooooooo cute! I have to say that 16 feet transcends the word leap; wowza. Hmmmmm, I wonder if we could add them to our Olympic team. Can you imagine? The Gold would be a shoo-in :o)
Have a safe trip!
Hahahahaha! I think signing them up for the Olympic team would be great. I can just picture the other teams making fun of them since they are so small. Then the little guys go out and smoke them on the long jump!
You are absolutely right. I love this picture (you know me and my monkeys). I can’t believe how small the babies are. Where can these little gems be found? Now I know what I want for my birthday. How nice is it that the entire family helps takes care of them and not just the mother.
I agree with Jen…I think they should be part of the Olympic team (ha, ha)
Have a safe trip and see you tomorrow night.
I figured you would like the baby picture! I still can’t get over how small they are! Maybe if you are good this year, we will get you some for your Birthday.
You can find these little marmosets in the rainforests of South America. More specifically in portions of Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
See you tomorrow! You guys have a safe trip as well!
How could you say “NO” to those eyes? These monkeys are cute as a button.(Don’t ask me to explain that saying – can’t say as I’ve ever found buttons to be cute, nevertheless…these little guys are.)
Have a safe and fun trip Nathan!
hahahaha! I think all buttons are cute!! Shirt buttons, keyboard buttons, radio buttons, they are all the cutest things ever! Okay, I have no idea where that saying came from either. Seems like a silly saying but I am sure there is an interesting origin to it.
Those eyes will get you every time, eh? I would get away with murder if I had eyes like that.
Have a great day!
I bet they’re mischievous as all get out because they know they’re so cute that with anything they do, they just have to turn those cute little eyes on you and they’ll get away with it.
Enjoy your holiday, don’t think about work or anything, not even this blog!
Now that is a creature that I don’t get to see often on TV. Just look at how small those twins are. haha. Nature is really one heck of a weird system. I bet those monkeys and George W. Bush probably have the same brain size.
hahahaha!
Nice comparison between Bush and the monkeys! That one made me laugh!
I wish I could have my very own baby marmoset!
I know! I want one too… heck I guess I will take two fo them since you don’t want to split up the twins.
Awwwwww!!!.. they are so adorable!!!!
The babies are very adorable!
Thanks for checking out Wild Facts! I greatly appreciate your interest!
Enjoy your blog a lot, gave you a shout-out in my blog today…
Thank you so much, Grace!
I am glad you enjoy Wild Facts! I appreciate the link and the nice words you said about this site.
Have a great day!!
Very cute 🙂
I figured you would like them, Margo!
I found this website wile I was doing a science project and it was very helpful. Also I found out about finger monkeys about a month ago and I have been totally obsessed with them. So it was cool reading about them on your website