Leontopithecus chrysomelas

The head of the golden lion tamarin is 22-26 cm long, the tail is 33-40 cm long, and the weight is 480-700 grams. It is the largest marmoset. It is small and exquisite, with shiny black velvety soft hair all over its body, which is eye-catching. The lion-like crown on its head brushes against its back, the mouth protrudes forward, and the ears are hidden under the hair. It looks dignified and majestic, just like a little lion, very beautiful and moving. The limbs and claws are golden to orange, and the long tail is black and golden. Its front and back limbs are almost the same size. Its body and feet are longer than those of other marmosets. There is a membrane between the second, third and fourth fingers, forming a webbed shape. Except for the thumb, all other fingers (toes) have sharp claws, allowing them to crawl through the forest and crawl between trees like squirrels. There are 32 teeth in total, with long "fangs" on the lower jaw, and the length of the incisors and can

Only 2-5% of the golden-headed lion tamarin remain in their original habitat in Brazil. They are only found in parts of southern Bahia in eastern Brazil. Here, they are mostly confined to protected areas. Once widespread across eastern Brazil when the species was first discovered, the surviving golden-headed lion tamarins are now scattered and sparsely distributed. The wild habitat is mainly tropical primary forest, and they are usually active in the middle and canopy layers of large trees 3-10 meters above the ground, using dense vines and other parasitic plants as cover, and living among the intertwined branches.

Golden-headed Lion Tamarin (scientific name: Leontopithecus chrysomelas), foreign name Golden-headed Lion Tamarin, no subspecies.

Golden lion tamarins are diurnal arboreal animals. They are active and lively, with keen vision, hearing and smell. They are agile and extremely agile. They can leap from one tree to another tree far away in an instant, or run quickly along the trunks and branches. Some of their difficult movements are not only difficult for other monkeys to complete, but even squirrels cannot catch up. Lion tamarins usually live in small-scale family-style groups, with 2-8 in each group, and 3-4 is the most common. Most of them are a pair of adults and their cubs, often gathering together to comb each other's beautiful golden long hair. They sleep in tree holes every night. Because the hole is very narrow, ordinary carnivores cannot enter, which can effectively avoid enemies. The tree hole is also covered with golden soft hair pulled from its body, which is both beautiful and comfortable, so a tree hole can be used for its habitat for many years.

Golden-headed lion tamarins are omnivorous animals, foraging for various insects, spiders, moths, flies, grubs, worms, and tender shoots, flowers and fruits of various plants, etc., especially figs. Sometimes they dig earthworms and small lizards on the ground, and sometimes they forage for bird eggs in trees, and even prey on newly born birds. In addition, in the forest where it lives, many tree trunks or branches are covered with holes of various sizes. This is because it likes to suck the sap of trees. It often uses its sharp claws to dig holes in the trunks or branches, or bites with its powerful incisors, and then sucks the sap flowing out into its mouth with relish.

The breeding season of the golden-headed lion tamarin is concentrated from September to March of the following year, that is, from early spring to late summer, which is the most humid and hot season in the area. The gestation period of females is 125-134 days, and each litter has 1-3 cubs, but 2 cubs are the most common. The cubs are mostly taken care of by males, and they can move independently after growing to 3 months.

Most South American countries have banned or limited exports and established national parks and nature reserves to effectively protect these rare species. For example, Brazil has stopped exporting lion tamarins since 1969 and has significantly increased the scope of protection for primates. Despite this, the future of these beautiful small primates remains worrying.

Listed in the 2008 Red List of Endangered Species of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) ver3.1 - Endangered (EN).

Listed in Appendix I of the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

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