Apr 03 2009
Cuter Sapsuckers
Don’t get me wrong…sapsuckers are cute. But in the Amazonian forest surrounding Sacha Lodge, I made the acquaintance of a sap eater that frankly blows our nifty little woodpeckers right off the tree in the cuteness department. Say hello to my little friend:
Behold the Pygmy Marmoset–the world’s smallest monkey. How small? Well, according to Wikipedia, males weigh 140 grams, females 120–about the same as a Royale with Cheese. Or perhaps a comparison with the Eastern Gray Squirrel will help illustrate just how tiny they are: the tails of the two species are of similar length, but the marmoset’s body is only about half as long as the squirrel’s. But it’s weight that really tells the tale. It would take about FOUR Pygmy Marmosets to equal the weight of one of those little sunflower seed vacuums hoovering around many of our yards. Well, maybe only 3, if they were big marmosets and a svelte squirrel, but still.
Pygmy Marmosets spend a great deal of their time chewing holes through the bark of favored species of trees, which causes sap to run. The little monkeys visit these wells and drink the outflow. You can see many small bite marks on the tree trunks in these photos. In the one below, notice that some of these little pits are enlarged into deep gouges–I would suppose that these are the honey holes, perennial favorite drinking spots.
Some of these trees have obviously been in use by the marmosets for a very long time. In the above photo, it certainly appears that some of the large, quarter-sized holes have been abandoned and healed over.
Forrest told us that a common local name for these monkeys is leoncillo, or little lion. When the adult monkey below stuck his head into a shaft of sunlight, it was easy to see how that name originated.
Then, he or she did a quick 180 and peered downward, radically changing its look.
Photographed in the shade with a flash, the tiger barred look of the adult’s back was striking.
Here’s a final shot of the youngster. Yes, he really is sticking out his tongue! He’s also showing off his extravagantly long claws.
Watching these guys zip, chew, and drink their way up and down the trunks, vines, and lianas at such close range was surely one of the highlights of our trip. The only sad note was knowing that they are threatened by not only habitat loss but also by capture for the pet trade. While I can certainly understand how someone would think keeping something so very, very cute would be a good idea, it isn’t. Not for you and not for them. I’m glad this bunch needn’t concern themselves with such fates. Long may they suck!
Sweetly adorable, and brindled like Chet Baker. I’d take one, but would rather see them wild. Beautiful shots under what had to be challenging conditions!
Jeff- you really captured these guys in all their glory. Thanks for sharing. Man, I need to go back to Ecuador!! And good for you on pointing out the need for habitat protection!
Sweet. Thanks for the indepth intro to an amazing creature. And aren’t trees amazing?! They stand for ages and endure all kinds of abuse.
I have always wondered why anyone would want to take wildlife out of its natural habitat and lifestyle. It is so much more fun to watch natural behavior and marvel at how it all fits together in nature’s balance. Awesome photos! Long live trees and ‘mini’ marmosets.
Friday Ark #237…
We’ll post links to sites that have Friday (plus or minus a few days) photos of their chosen animals (photoshops at our discretion and humans only in supporting roles). Watch the Exception category for rocks, beer, coffee cups, and….? Visit all the …
Great pix, hombre! The cute face belies the injury-infliction potential of those claws! My guess is you don’t want to try to pet these puppies.
They are the cutest. They are easier to see in Ecuador than in Manu, Peru. I have seen them quite a few times in the Cuyabeno area in Ecuador, but only a few times in Manu. They seem to prefer the swampy areas next to the cochas. But once one knows their favorite trees and recognise their high-pitched squeeks, they are easier to find.
I think many lodges in Ecuador have them well staked out.
I think it is sticking it’s tongue out at Marci!
The apparent tiger stripe on the individual photographed in the shade is striking. I think you’ve just added another target species to wish list. A hardy handshake and thank you to you.
Yup, this is my spirit animal, tongue-wise.
Gawd, great shots Jeff. What a coup, what an epiphanic (been wanting to use that word!) experience.
[...] 2. Infant pygmy marmosets are incredibly cute, their photographs are all over the WWW. I’d include one of the cuter ones in this article, but I’m unsure of it’s copyright status (I’ve tracked it down to the Everland Zoo in Korea, via the Zooborns blog, but the trail runs cold at that point). Other particularly cute photos include two infant marmosets for sale and in Jeffrey Gordon’s article Cuter Sapsuckers. [...]
[...] 2. Infant pygmy marmosets are incredibly cute, their photographs are all over the WWW. I’d include one of the cuter ones in this article, but I’m unsure of it’s copyright status (I’ve tracked it down to the Everland Zoo in Korea, via the Zooborns blog, but the trail runs cold at that point). Other particularly cute photos include two infant marmosets for sale and in Jeffrey Gordon’s articleCuter Sapsuckers. [...]