By Josie
February 3rd, 2023
Finger monkeys are the smallest species in the monkey family.
It is a personal preference to like or dislike animals, but it's virtually impossible to not love this heart-melting creature.
Finger monkeys live in areas where trees are close together, protecting them from dangers and enabling them to jump between branches.
Pygmy marmosets choose to remain in the lower tree cover because it is more secure and provides easier access to food sources.
Its length may range from 5 to 6 inches without its tail, which may reach a maximum of 8 inches.
The majority of the digits on pygmy marmosets have claws.
They also have fuzzy skin, typically in various colors like black, grey, and brownish-gold.
Their diet also consists of flowers, berries, insects, lizards, spiders, and other tiny reptiles.
They chew into the trees to obtain tree sap, attracting insects like butterflies, which they then hunt while consuming the tree fluid.
Females in a troop are rarely pregnant simultaneously, one will stop having children and assist the other in caring for the young.
After two weeks of giving birth, parents leave their baby in a quiet area with some protection while they go foraging for food.
This “baby-parking” behavior is intended to lessen the strain of infant care
They risk falling prey to hawks, eagles, and snakes, like the rattlesnake, that can quickly scale towering trees.
One of the major threats Pygmy marmosets (finger monkeys) face is being sold as exotic pets due to their small stature and generally calm disposition.
A finger monkey’s body is covered in scent glands, which serve as various mood indicators and can be used to signal to male monkeys when a female is ready for mating.
They use a broad vocal repertoire and have sophisticated communication techniques
Finger Monkeys are highly mobile, utilizing all four legs to scale trees and cling to limbs, and they can leap 15 feet in a single bound.
They can also rotate their heads 180 °, which makes it easier for them to spot and avoid predators swiftly.
The majority of pygmy marmosets live in groups of 2 to 9 individuals.
Both male and female adolescents will split off from their birth troops after a given time and go on to find their own.
According to the IUCN, they are not in danger of going extinct anytime soon and are classified as a species of "least concern."
People are urging the IUCN to reevaluate their status because according to indications their number has been reduced to half.
Other than illegal pet trade, climate change and habitat destruction are their biggest enemies.
Although they shouldn't be kept as pets (as they have in the past), they are great to admire from a distance.