This website was completed by John Doehring in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Biology 323, Animal Behavior, at Davidson College in the Spring Semester 2007.

Golden Lion Tamarin

(Leontopithecus rosalia)

Physical Description

Kingdom:  Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class:  Mammalia
Order:  Primates
Family:  Cebidae
Genus:  Callitrichinae
Species:  Leontopithecus rosalia

Golden lion tamarins are members of the Callitrichinae genus which includes related tamarins and marmosets.  Adults are between eight and thirteen inches long with tails of twelve to fifteen inches.  Golden lion tamarins have small, round heads, bare faces, and a prominent reddish-gold coat with a golden mane (Frantom, 1999).  Unlike most tamarin species which have long, flattened fingernails, golden lion tamarins have claw-like nails more suitable for catching insects (tegulae).  They exhibit no sexual dimorphism; males and females both average a weight of approximately 600 grams, or 1.5 pounds (Bramblett, 1994).  The average life expectancy is about fifteen years (Cawthon, 2005).

Any questions regarding the content or design of this website should be sent to John Doehring or to Dr. Verna Case, Chair of the Biology Department at Davidson College.