Two extremely rare monkeys have moved into the North Florida Wildlife Center (NFWC) in Jefferson County.
“They are a breeding pair of critically endangered cotton-topped tamarins,” says NFWC Executive Director Ryan David Reines. “They are very cool, very exotic ornamental-looking little monkeys. They’re only about the size of a squirrel.”
Einstein and Elsa have settled into their new home, which includes an indoor and outdoor space. They are among just a few thousand of their species left in the world. That’s why this established couple is part of a breeding program.
“What’s very cool about tamarins and the tamarin family, which includes marmosets as well, is that they are specialized sap feeders, and so a bulk of their diet is tree sap,” Reines says. “They hang vertically from trees and gnaw on holes to keep sap dripping from those trees, and that also allows other animals to feed on nutrient-rich tree sap as well. So they are very important in their ecosystems.”
Cotton-topped tamarins are native to a small area of tropical rainforests in Colombia. They supplement their diet with fruit and insects.
NFWC is already home to a wide variety of wildlife. Visitors can get up close with lemurs, a kangaroo, a sloth, a giant anteater, and more.
Click here for information about the NFWC and how to visit.
