Marmosets are awesome primates. They are primitive little monkeys that usually grow to about 8 inches in length, excluding their tails. Marmosets often weigh from 1/4 to 1/2 of a pound. They are so tiny that many people think they make good pets, but there are varying opinions on that.

There are twenty-five New World monkey species that are commonly called marmosets, including species of the genera Callibella, Callithrix, Cebuella, and Mico. These are part of the family Callitrichidae. Some other monkeys are often called marmosets too, including Goeldi's Money and Callimico Goeldii.

Marmosets have claws, tactile hairs on their wrists, primitive brains, and relatively variable body temperatures (they can change by up to 7* F per day!). They feed on insects, leaves, and fruit in the upper canopy of the forest. They also chew holes in trees to extract the gum inside.

Marmosets usually live as families with one or two breeding females, an unrelated male, and their little ones. Sometimes extended family members and friends will join in and form groups of three to fifteen marmosets. Marmosets can be monogamous or polygamous, and often give birth to fraternal twins or triplets. They cooperatively care for their young offspring. Check around the rest of this website for more great information about marmosets.