Black-faced lion tamarin (Leontopithecus caissara)

Black-faced lion tamarin in the rain
Black-faced lion tamarin in the rain

Black-faced lion tamarin fact file

Black-faced lion tamarin description

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderPrimates
FamilyCallitrichidae
GenusLeontopithecus (1)

The black-faced lion tamarin has a golden-coloured back that contrasts with the black face, head, mane, chest, feet, forearms and tail (2) (4). Like all lion tamarins it has a long tail, silky fur and a mane of hair that frames the face (4). Claws are found at the end of the long fingers, except on the first digit of each toe, which has a flattened nail (2) (5).

Weight
540 – 710 g (2)
Top

Black-faced lion tamarin biology

An arboreal species, the black-faced lion tamarin is active in the day and uses its long dextrous digits to forage for fruit, flowers, seeds, young leaves, nectar, insects, and small vertebrates such as reptiles and nestlings (2) (6). It typically lives in groups of two to seven individuals (2), and at night the whole group retires to tree holes to sleep (7). Births peak from September to March (5), and females usually give birth to twins (4). Some experts believe that the black-faced lion tamarin is actually a subspecies of the black lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) (4).

Top

Black-faced lion tamarin range

This species was first discovered in 1990 on Superagui Island, off the south-eastern coast of Brazil. By 1995, it had also been recorded on nearby parts of the mainland in the states of Parana and Sao Paulo. In 1997, the population was estimated to measure fewer than 260 individuals (6), mainly located within Superagui National Park (7).

Top

Black-faced lion tamarin habitat

Inhabits the Atlantic primary lowland coastal forest of south-eastern Brazil (2) (5).

Top

Black-faced lion tamarin status

Classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List (1), and listed on Appendix I of CITES (3).

IUCN Red List species status – Critically Endangered

Top

Black-faced lion tamarin threats

Habitat loss as a result of development, cultivation and the increase in tourism in the area, as well as the capture of live individuals, has posed a threat to the survival of the species (6).

Top

Black-faced lion tamarin conservation

The black-faced lion tamarin project aims to study the species and gather information on its ecology and behaviour (7). Findings will be used to inform conservation management programmes, and raise awareness of the species through environmental education in the local area. Captive breeding programmes could also help this species enormously, and are a priority for future conservation efforts (2). This tamarin is one of the world's 25 most endangered primates and is on the very brink of extinction. It will require long-term conservation efforts and protection if it is to survive.

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Top

Find out more

For more information on the black-faced lion tamarin see:

Top

Authentication

Authenticated (17/12/05) by Matt Richardson, independent primatologist and writer.

Top

Glossary

Arboreal
Living in trees.
Subspecies
A different race of a species, which is geographically separated from other populations of that species.
Top

References

  1. IUCN Red List (October, 2002)
    http://www.iucnredlist.org
  2. Richardson, M. (2005) Pers. comm.
  3. CITES (October, 2002)
    http://www.cites.org
  4. Macdonald, D. (2001) The New Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University Press, London.
  5. Primate Info Net (February, 2002)
    http://www.primate.wisc.edu/pin/factsheets/leontopithecus_caissara.html
  6. Animal Info (January, 2002)
    http://www.animalinfo.org/species/primate/leoncais.htm
  7. The Wild Ones (January, 2002)
    http://www.wildinvest.com/tamarin.html

More »Related species

Black lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus)Golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas)Golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia)Manicoré marmoset (Mico manicorensis)Moustached tamarin (Saguinus mystax)Mottle-face tamarin (Saguinus inustus)Black and white tassel-ear marmoset (Mico humeralifer)Buffy-tufted-ear marmoset (Callithrix aurita)

This species is featured in:

This species is featured in the Atlantic forest eco-region

Please donate to ARKive today

Help us share the wonders of the natural world. Donate today!

Sign up to our newsletter

Get the latest wild news direct to your inbox.

Get involved

ARKive relies on its media donors to donate photos and videos. Can you help? There are plenty of other ways you can get involved too!

X
Close

Image credit

Black-faced lion tamarin in the rain  
Black-faced lion tamarin in the rain

© Hudson Garcia

Hudson Garcia
Tel: +55 (41) 9604 4420
hudson@hudsongarcia.com
http://www.hudsongarcia.com

X
Close

Link to this photo

ARKive species - Black-faced lion tamarin (Leontopithecus caissara) Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.

Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.

Read more about

X
Close

MyARKive

MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.

X
Close

Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials

Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.

Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:

  • view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
  • download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
  • teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.

End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.

Additional use of flagged material

Green flagged material 

Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.

Creative commons material

Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.

Any other use

Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.

Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.