Anybody in the mood to learn about a little monkey? Well, I hope so since we are taking a trip to South America to learn about a New World Monkey called the Goeldi Monkey, which is also known as the Goeldi Marmoset. This little primate holds the honour of being one of the last New World Monkey’s to ever be discovered. I know this doesn’t sound like that much of an honour but try telling that to Swiss Naturalist, Emilo Goeldi who found this furry little monkey in 1904. How about we take the time right now to retrace the steps of our Swiss Naturalist friend and learn a little more about his discovery.

Similar to other primates the Goeldi Marmoset is a social animal that live in family groups lead by a monogamous, mated pair. Does this sound familiar at all? It should, since humans tend to have the same setup. The offspring tend to stay with the family for awhile where they help raise their siblings. I am not sure how long they stay with the group but my guess is until the patience of the parents is diminished and the little cute Marmoset is kicked out of the family…….but that is just a guess. Typically, the females will be the only ones that tend to the young for the first 10-20 days. After this, the males are allowed to help out, provided they don’t accidentally drop the baby monkey.

If you are visiting South America and hope to catch a glimpse of the Goeldi Monkey then you may want to look up into the trees. The long tails provide this primate with the balance required to swing around in the trees. In fact, they spend a good chunk of their time zipping through the forest looking for fruit. Interestingly enough, they usually have the company of other Marmoset or Tamarin species, which just goes to show that everyone likes a good road trip, regardless of species.

Goeldi Monkey Fast Fact –  Although the length of this primate is less than 30 cm (1 foot), they are capable of horizontally jumping a whopping 4 m (13 feet). Let’s see if we can put this into perspective. If you were around 6′ tall then you would be able to jump about 78′, which would probably get you a gold medal or two in the long jump.

Thanks for reading today’s Wild Fact. Enjoy the rest of your day and I will see you tomorrow.