The marmosets are Brazilian based tree dwelling primate they belong to the family of the monkeys. The common type of marmoset the scientific name of which is Callithrix  Jacchus  is of the primate family Cabidae. This is a small squirrel like monkey. The body colors of this kind of monkeys are brown grey and yellow with a long tail and white ear tufts. The marmosets are new world monkey the body structure of which is different from that of the old and common type of Asian monkeys. They have broad noses with separated, side-faced nostrils that are unlike the close set and forward facing nostrils that old and common types of monkeys possess.

The marmosets have nails in their claws and elongated chisel like lower incisors, which help them to hold the bark of the trees. They move like squirrels and run across tree branches using all the four legs sometime leaping between trees. The size of the male and the female is same and the weight of the male is more than the females. The marmosets are about seven ton eight inches tall and the average weight of their body is about eight to nine ounces. In the whole world, there are currently 21 species of marmosets.

Habitat

Marmosets are found in the central and south America from Colombia Ecuador in the north to Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay in the south. They live in different types of forest, which includes dry inland forests to Atlantic coasts and in the forests that are located on the bank of rivers and savanna forests. They can also live in the semi tropical forests of Brazil.

Social behavior

These kinds of monkeys are very active like the other type of monkeys. They are active in the day for about 12   hours and in the night, they sleep in the trees preferably in a dense and vine filled area. They can sleep without moving for more than 30 minutes on the branches of trees.

Marmosets are very social animals they live in groups ranging about three fifteen members in a family. Usually there family consists of two mating females an unrelated male and with many off springs. Since there food supplies are abundant trees there is no need for competition among the members so the family groups are not territorial in nature. They spend their days in eating and socializing.

Marmosets have also a well-defined communication system. To give signal alarms they use a partial open mouth stare. When they become aggressive, they frown. When submissive they use to give a slit stare. In case they got frightened for some reason, they used to lower their ear tufts down on their heads. To give alarm calls to other members they give a short high-pitched call.

Life span

Like all other primates, the marmosets have a brief life span that ranges between five years to sixteen years maximum. Unfortunately, for marmosets it exhibits age related disease like diabetes and cancer.