Marmoset Monkey

The marmoset monkey is one such monkey breed that is characterized by its beautiful fur.



Physically marmosets are around 8 inches in length with long lower incisors that enable them to bite holes into tree trunks in the wild and enjoy the natural gum present inside the tree. Marmosets are known to be social animals that live in family groups that could consist of 3 to 15 members.

Another breed of marmoset monkeys is the breed of pygmy marmoset monkeys that are the smallest living primates ranging from 5.5 to 6 inches in body length.



Pygmy marmosets mostly consume fruits, gum and insects as key elements of their daily diet. Pygmy marmosets are difficult to have as a pet monkey as they require to be fed almost every two hours. They are also known to be temperamental and retaliate against their owners by throwing feces at them and even biting their owners.



A pygmy marmoset can live up to 11 years in captivity.

There are various monkey breeds such as tamarins, javas, rhesus macaques, pigtailed macaques, and many others, each having their distinct characteristics in terms of physical appearances, behavior and food preferences. Currently there are around 264 known species of monkeys found around the world. Nature specialists have broadly classified the various breeds of monkeys in old world primates and new world primates. Old world primates are mostly found in various parts of Africa and Asia whereas the new world primates are native to Central and South America. The primary difference between these two groups of primates revolves around their respective tails. New world species of monkeys have prehensile tales enabling them to hang onto things but do not have opposable thumbs whereas their old world counterparts do not have prehensile tales but do have opposable thumbs. Monkeys have a longstanding relationship with humans where at times they are kept as pets, sometimes used in laboratories for scientific research and sometimes even sent on space missions.

Having monkeys as pets is considered as illegal in some countries even though their popularity as pets is increasing. Having a monkey for a pet requires investment of time and money as they tend to get bored easily and consequently irritable. There are various species of pet monkeys found today such as the capuchin monkey, squirrel monkeys and macaques. Pet monkey owners should also be vary about the medical diseases that can be transmitted from their monkey to them such as Herpes which may be fatal if not treated properly.