Pygmy marmosets are the smallest marmosets and one of the smallest of all primates.

Subspecies
None.

Life span
Over 10 years.

Statistics
Head and body length: 11-15cm, Tail length: 17-22cm, Weight: 120-190g.

Physical description
Pygmy marmosets have tawny agouti fur (the tip of the hair is a different colour to the base) with an indistinctly dark-ringed tail.

Distribution
They inhabit Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.

Habitat
They live in flooded forest near rivers, bamboo thickets and the edges of agricultural fields.

Diet
Pygmy marmosets mainly feed on gum (tree exudates, sap), but they also eat fruit, nectar and animal prey. They gouge holes in the bark of trees, and revisit these holes daily to collect the sap.

Behaviour
Pygmy marmosets live in groups of about six members, which includes a monogamous male and female and the offspring of up to four litters. Sometimes there are two males, but one is dominant to the other and restricts access to the female. They are diurnal and arboreal, and are capable of jumping vertically up to 5m.

Reproduction
After a gestation period of 119-140 days, females give birth to two (rarely three) infants. The male carries the young.

Conservation status
Pygmy marmosets are not listed by the IUCN.