Cotton Top Tamarin Essay

The Cotton-top tamarin typically weighs less than a pound and is a very small species of the New World monkey. The Cotton-Top tamarin got their name because of the long, white fur that is on their head and falls onto their shoulders. They spend most of their lives in the trees. These small primates spend their day actively hunting food, and resting high in tree tops throughout the night. Tamarins are a very sociable species of primates. The tamarin troop consists of up to fourteen members. The Cotton-top has a very seasonal diet that consists of native fruits. This season is typically the rainy season because most of the trees are bearing fruit. During the off season, the tamarin’s diet consists of gum, nectar, and insects.
Due to their small …show more content…
Overshoot and collapse is generally considered to be a natural phenomenon. Their tropical forest habitat is being destroyed by humans for food, housing, fuel, road, and agriculture. One of the main reasons cotton-top tamarins are critically endangered is due to the fact that 75% of their natural habitat has been lost to deforestation. Another reason for the decline of this primate species is the fact that the Tamarin is being captured and illegally sold. Even though international laws and sanctions have been initiated to condemn this activity, the illegal trade continues to happen. It is the activity of humans that is changing the capacity of this species of primates. Another serious threat caused by human interference is damming or water sources for hydro electrical power. This process is an inexpensive renewable source of energy for Colombia, but comes at a great expense to the tamarin community. Damming this area not only destroys fragile ecosystems but will also flood the forest and destroy about 208 miles of forests within the Paramillo National Park; an area that is one of the last protected areas where tamarins naturally