Male: Amazon
Female: Diega
Baby of Amazon and Diega: Eko
Good Things Do Come in
Small Packages
Pygmy Marmosets are the world’s smallest primate and they are now residents at Montana’s only accredited zoo. You can find these South American natives housed in the modified iguana exhibit in the main building. Diega and Amazon are busy getting to know their new surroundings and the many faces that stop by to visit them every day. Wild pygmy marmosets are sap eaters, they spend most of their day gnawing holes in trees and collecting the sap or gum. They also eat insects, fruits, nectar and small lizards. At the zoo they get a special marmoset biscuit that provides them with the nutrients that they would normally get from eating sap. They also get a steady supply of fresh fruit and an occasional small insect. Though not an endangered or even threatened species, pygmy marmosets are considered a species of concern. It is difficult to get a solid count of how many are in the wild due to their small size and excellent camouflage. The biggest threat to these little primates in the wild is habitat loss and the exotic pet trade. Yes they seem like they would be a fun animal to have at home but primates really do not make good pets!!! Diega and Amazon are a breeding pair. If all goes well we can expect to see a set of twins about every 6 months. Pygmy marmoset dads do most of the child rearing, carrying baby on their backs and handing them over to mom only when it is time to nurse. A question often asked is do we hold them, the answer is no. You’ll notice that our keepers wear a mask and gloves when they are in the exhibit caring for the marmosets, this is a safety precaution for our keepers as well as for the marmosets, primates can share diseases with humans and we don’t want to get them sick or vice versa.
By Sarah Chatwood, Education Specialist
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