Red Handed Tamarin
About Us
Here at Chessington we have 4 Red Handed Tamarins. We have two males - Ralph (born 2008) and Heinz (born 2011) and two females - Ali & Sally (both born 2010). You can find them jumping about in our monkey walkthrough and there's a good chance you'll here their high pitched calls as well - especially when there's food about! They will nearly always be together as they are veru social primates and help each other forage for food and even raise each others young. As you can probably guess they get their name from their /yellow hands and feet and are sometimes called Yellow Handed or Midas Tamarins.
FUN FACTS:
- They can jump from about 20m up in a tree to the floor and remain unharmed.
- Troops are usually led by a dominant female who is the only one allowed to have young.
Where are they from?
They are found in South America, specifically Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Surinam.
How long do they live?
They live for around 10-15 years
How big are they?
They are a small primate - about 45cm from head to the end of the tail. Their tail is actually about the same length of their body. They are also very lightweight, weighing around 500g (about the weight of a loaf of bread!)
Conservation Status
Least concern. The population of Red handed Tamarins is stable. They are hunted for food but only locally and as yet their habitat is not severely fragmented or in decline, however this can change quickly.
