Cotton-top Tamarin
Saguinus oedipus
The cotton-top tamarin is a small New World monkey weighing less than 0.5 kg (1.
16
Countries
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton-top_tamarin
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Primates
Family
Callitrichidae
Genus
Saguinus
Cotton-top Tamarin belongs to the family Callitrichidae, order Primates, within the Mammalia class.
Species Profile
The cotton-top tamarin is a small New World monkey weighing less than 0.5 kg (1.1 lb). This New World monkey can live up to 24 years, but most of them die by 13 years. One of the smallest primates, the cotton-top tamarin is easily recognized by the long, white sagittal crest extending from its forehead to its shoulders. The species is found in tropical forest edges and secondary forests in northwestern Colombia, where it is arboreal and diurnal. Its diet includes insects and plant exudates, and it is an important seed disperser in the tropical ecosystem.
Cotton-top Tamarins face severe population decline primarily due to extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation in their native Colombian range, where over 95% of their original forest habitat has been destroyed. The species is further threatened by illegal capture for the pet trade and biomedical research, which historically removed thousands of individuals from wild populations.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
A sign in Tayrona National Natural Park in northern Colombia pointing out the tamarin's endangered status in the only part of the world where it still exists The cotton-top tamarin is restricted to a small area of northwest Colombia, between the Cauca and Magdalena Rivers to the south and east, the Atlantic coast to the north, and the Atrato River to the west. They are found exclusively in...
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Cotton-top Tamarins face severe population decline primarily due to extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation in their native Colombian range, where over 95% of their original forest habitat has been destroyed. The species is further threatened by illegal capture for the pet trade and biomedical research, which historically removed thousands of individuals from wild populations.
Habitat fragmentation
Habitat loss and deforestation
Human encroachment and development
Illegal pet trade
Capture for biomedical research
Found in 16 Countries
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Cotton-top Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/cotton-top-tamarin