Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
The destruction of forests has resulted in the endangerment of many rainforest animals, including many monkey species. However, silvery marmosets have been able to survive by taking advantage of human food crops and living in secondary forest habitats. It remains to be seen whether this trend continues.
(Preston-Mafham 1992)
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: appendix ii
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
By feeding on newly planted crops that replace rain forests silvery marmosets have become pests. As a result humans in these areas carry out active extermination campaigns.
(Preston-Mafham 1992)
Because of their small size and mild disposition marmosets are used regularly in medical research. Studying the fertilization, placental development, and embryonic stem cells of marmosets may reveal causes of developmental problems and genetic disorders in humans. (WRPRC, 1997)
Silvery marmosets are gumivores, their diet consists mainly of the sap and gum of trees. With canines and incisors of equal length they are able to gouge holes in trees and lap up the exudate. They supplement their diet with fruit, insects, and leaves. (Swindler 1998)
Animal Foods: insects
Plant Foods: leaves; fruit; sap or other plant fluids
Primary Diet: herbivore (Eats sap or other plant foods)
Silvery marmosets, Callithrix argentata, are found south and east of the Amazon River in eastern Brazil. Silvery marmosets are isolated from other marmosets, except south of the Amazon delta where they co-occur with common marmosets, Callithrix jacchus. (Preston-Mafham 1992)
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Within the tropical rain forest silvery marmosets take advantage of tree hollows, dense vegetation, and vine tangles for sleeping sites.
(Rowe 1996)
Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest
Average lifespan
Sex: female
Status: captivity: 16.8 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 8.8 years.
About the size of a squirrel, silvery marmosets are one of the smallest New World monkeys. Head and body length averages 21.59 cm and tail length averages 29.21 cm. Silvery marmosets vary in color from silvery white to dark brown. Dark brown marmosets have hairless ears and faces and are sometimes referred to as bare-ear marmosets. Because of their dark tails, silvery marmosets are also referred to as black-tailed monkeys. A unique feature of the silvery marmoset is that their jaw narrows to a sharp point. This pointed jaw, along with short canine teeth, are believed to be an adaption for their unique feeding habit. While other New World monkeys posess nails on all of their toes, marmosets have claws on all of their toes except the big toe. (Preston-Mafham 1992; Napier 1985)
Average mass: 1360 g.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Average mass: 343.2 g.
Females usually give birth to twins twice a year after a gestation time of 145 days. Ten to twenty days after giving birth females ovulate, at the same time they are nursing current young. Subordinate females within the family group are prevented from ovulating by exposure to pheromones released by dominant females.(Napier 1985)
Breeding interval: Silvery marmosets breed twice a year.
Average number of offspring: 2.
Average gestation period: 145 days.
Average weaning age: 6 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Average birth mass: 35.1 g.
Average gestation period: 144 days.
Average number of offspring: 2.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 334 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 304 days.
Silvery marmosets live in extended families of about twelve where all the members help care for the young. Silvery marmoset fathers carry their infants and return them to the mother to be fed every two to three hours. Infants are weaned from their mother's milk at about six months and are considered adults at one to two years old.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Male)
The silvery marmoset (Mico argentatus) is a New World monkey that lives in the eastern Amazon Rainforest in Brazil.[1][4]
The fur of the silvery marmoset is colored whitish silver-grey except for a dark tail. Remarkable are its naked, flesh-colored ears which stand out from the skin. They reach a size of 18 to 28 cm (7.1 to 11.0 in) and weigh from 300 to 400 g (11 to 14 oz).
Silvery marmosets are diurnal and arboreal, using their claws to climb trees. Originally rain forest inhabitants, plantations have caused them to expand their range. They spend the night in tree hollows or in very close vegetation. They live together in small groups and mark their territory with scent glands, driving out intruders by shouting or by facial expressions (lowered brows and guarded lips).
The diet of the silvery marmosets predominantly consists of tree sap. To a lesser extent, they also eat bird eggs, fruit, insects, and small vertebrates.
After a 145-day gestation period, the female bears two (or rarely three) offspring. As is the case for many callitrichids, the father and the other group members take part with the raising of the offspring. Within six months the young are weaned, with full maturity coming at about two years of age.
Studies show that Silvery Marmosets prefer secondary growth forests and edge growth forests due to some of the benefits that the habitat presents such as an abundance of insect prey and dense vegetation.[5]
The silvery marmoset (Mico argentatus) is a New World monkey that lives in the eastern Amazon Rainforest in Brazil.
The fur of the silvery marmoset is colored whitish silver-grey except for a dark tail. Remarkable are its naked, flesh-colored ears which stand out from the skin. They reach a size of 18 to 28 cm (7.1 to 11.0 in) and weigh from 300 to 400 g (11 to 14 oz).
Silvery marmosets are diurnal and arboreal, using their claws to climb trees. Originally rain forest inhabitants, plantations have caused them to expand their range. They spend the night in tree hollows or in very close vegetation. They live together in small groups and mark their territory with scent glands, driving out intruders by shouting or by facial expressions (lowered brows and guarded lips).
The diet of the silvery marmosets predominantly consists of tree sap. To a lesser extent, they also eat bird eggs, fruit, insects, and small vertebrates.
After a 145-day gestation period, the female bears two (or rarely three) offspring. As is the case for many callitrichids, the father and the other group members take part with the raising of the offspring. Within six months the young are weaned, with full maturity coming at about two years of age.
Studies show that Silvery Marmosets prefer secondary growth forests and edge growth forests due to some of the benefits that the habitat presents such as an abundance of insect prey and dense vegetation.
