| WRR
Home > E-Newsletter: WRR Sanctuary
News > September/October 2007
> Marmosets Retire to Texas
 Marmosets
Retire to Texas
by Angela Grimes, Director of Operations
Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation (WRR)
will soon be home to nine Common Marmosets, small South American
primates. These monkeys have spent their entire lives in the
small confines of a medical research facility in California,
where they were used to breed more marmosets to be used in
the laboratory. Their new home is a spacious, natural enclosure
with plenty of places to climb, hide, and rest. They will
have fresh fruit and vegetables to eat and the company of
their own kind. We will begin construction on their winter
quarters soon so that they will have individual propane-heated
houses where they can comfortably spend the cold winter nights.
They will arrive at WRR around the first week of October,
and for the first time in their lives will experience the
joys of fresh air, sunshine, green grass, and the cool Hill
Country breezes.
Construction of their enclosure and winter
houses has been made possible by a generous grant from the
Talbert Family Foundation.
In the wild, marmosets can be found around
the edges of the South American rain forest, high in the canopy.
They generally feed on tree sap, but they have also been found
to eat insects, spiders, fruit, flowers, and nectar. Marmosets
generally live in groups of 2–13 individuals. One of
the most outstanding features of their behavior is that males
and siblings assist mothers with infant care. Distinguishing
characteristics are very pronounced white ear tufts and a
white blaze on the forehead. Their head fur is usually dark
brown, while their back fur is a grayish brown color with
light striping on the body and tail.
Common Marmosets are one of the most endangered
Callitrichid species. The nearly complete destruction of their
habitat in north eastern Brazil has severely threatened this
and countless other species.
Sponsor
a Marmoset in sanctuary!
|
