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Common Marmoset | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Common Marmoset

Callithrix jacchus

MammaliaDry caatinga scrub, gallery forest and forest edgeLeast Concern

Field profile

The common marmoset is a squirrel-sized Brazilian monkey with white ear tufts and a banded tail. It lives in cooperative family groups where older siblings help carry infants. Its lower incisors are chisel-shaped, which lets it gouge tree bark and feed on the gum that flows out.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-09-10

Common Marmoset

Marmosets chisel holes in bark to drink gum

Common marmosets have lower incisors as long as their canines and reinforced with enamel on the front face only, forming a chisel. They gouge holes in tree bark, return to the same wounds for weeks, and live on the exudate through the dry season.

Read with evidence →