The jungle as a playground
Keep your eyes open, because a white-lipped tamarin might come sliding by before you know it. As this little monkey has very sharp claws instead of fingers with nails, it is a skilled tree climber and acrobat. The white-lipped tamarins can be recognised by their reddish-brown stomach and white hairs surrounding their nose and lips.
Tree climbers
The Callitrichidae have a reputation of being very playful and very much live up to that in Amazonia: the white-lipped tamarins expertly jump from branch to branch. They do so by means of their sharp claws, which ensure a secure grip on the bark. These handy little claws also make it good at probing in cracks and holes, looking for delicious tree saps, insects, and spiders.
Did you know…
That ‘Saguinus’ in its scientific name means ‘blood’? It refers to its red belly.
