Red Handed Tamarins

Red handed Tamarin
Saguinus midas midas

Geographic Distribution: Guyana, Brazil North of the Amazon

Red handed tamarins belong to the primate family, Callitrichidae, which includes all marmosets and tamarins. The name Callitrichidae means beautiful hair and the various species show great variety in the patterns and color of the fur. Unlike other monkeys they have claws instead of nails on all digits except their big toes. The Callitrichid diet consists mainly of fruit and insects, with marmosets relying heavily on gums and saps.

They live in small groups, have twins, and all group members, especially the father, play a large role in caring for the young. They are also called Golden-handed tamarins. In their scientific name, notice that they are named after King Midas who turned everything he touched into gold.