Home > Animals > Mammals > Pygmy marmosets

Pygmy marmosets

(Cebuella pygmaea)

 

Category: Mammals

 

 

Pygmy marmosets (Cebuella pygmaea), also known as pocket monkeys or finger monkeys, are native to South America. They grow to a length of about 6” including their tails. The thought of having a tiny monkey as pet might be appealing, but all monkeys are demanding pets, and pocket monkeys, like many other larger monkeys, can grow to be aggressive or hard to control as they get older (and depending on where you live, they may also be illegal, as well). The average life span of the pocket monkey in the wild is 11-12 years; in captivity it can get closer to 20 years. In the wild, these little 3-5 oz. 6” monkeys spend most of their time in trees and can leap about 5 meters (over 16 feet) from tree to tree. They also can leap into the next room from the perch on your finger, or right out the window. To get an idea of what his means, if you are 5’ 9” tall and if you could leap like a pocket monkey, you could jump 2,300 feet. At a track meet, you’d jump out of the stadium!

 

Data & Facts

Scientific Classification
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Primates
Family - Callitrichidae
Genus - Cebuella
Species - C. pygmaea

 
Did you know?
Interesting Animal Facts

A 200 Million Year-old Iconoclast

If a defining trait of mammals is that they give live birth to their young, how do you explain monotremes? Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs like a reptile, rather than giving birth to live young. Living examples of these unusual animals can only be found in Australia and New Guinea today, though they used to be more widespread. A monotreme egg has less yolk for supplying nutrients than a reptile egg, and when a young echidna or platypus hatches, it is very tiny and less developed than its reptile counterpart. But monotreme babies are able to grow and thrive because their mothers stay with them, lactating to supply vital nutrients for their growth - just like other mammals!

Learn more >>

 


NAIA - National Animal Interest Alliance Discover Animals is a web-based educational resource offered by the NAIA
To learn more about the NAIA or about other NAIA programs, visit us at www.NAIAOnline.org
if you would like to help, join or support the NAIA or any of its programs please click here >>