Conservation status:
Endangered
Life span: Unknown
Total population: 6000 to 15,000 (wild), 600 (captive)
Regions: Brazil
Gestation: 4.2 months (125 days)
Height: 250 mm (M), 236.3 mm (F)
Weight: 620 g (M), 534.8 g (F)
TAXONOMY
Suborder: Haplorrhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Cebidae
Subfamily: Callitrichinae
Genus: Leontopithecus
Species: L. chrysomelas
Other names: mico-leão de cara dourada (Portuguese); tamarino león
de cabeza dorada (Spanish); guldhuvad lejonapa, guldhuvad lejontamarin, or gyllenhuvad
lejonapa (Swedish)
MORPHOLOGY
Golden-headed lion tamarins are one of four species of lion tamarins in
the Genus Leontopithecus that have similar body shapes and
share several common features including a lionlike mane of hair
surrounding their dark brown, or black, hairless faces (Rowe 1996). The
golden-headed lion tamarin has black fur over its entire body except for
on its head and mane, where the fur is a light to deep golden color. It
also has golden fur on part of its tail, hands, feet, and forearms (Rowe
1996; Groves 2001). Males and females are about the same size and
weight, though a female's weight fluctuates more than a male's during
certain times in the reproductive cycle. In captivity, males weigh between
540 and 700 g (1.19 and 1.54 lb) and average 620 g 1.37 lb) and measure,
on average, 250 mm (9.84 in) while females weigh between 480 and 590 g
(1.06 and 1.30 lb) and average 534.8 g (1.18 lb) and measure, on average
236.3 mm (9.30 in) (Rosenberger & Coimbra-Filho 1984). Based on a
few specimens, wild male golden-headed lion tamarins weigh 550 g (1.21 lb),
and the average weight of wild females is 591 g (1.30 lb) (Leigh 1994; Raboy 2002).

Photo: Bryan Lenz
Other characteristics shared by lion tamarins include the presence of
claw-like nails (called tegulae) instead of flat nails (called ungulae) as seen in humans and other primates, and the tendency to give birth to twins more frequently than
singletons (Sussman 2000). The
claw-like nails seen in golden-headed
lion tamarins aid in their locomotion patterns of
quadrupedal running, clinging, and
leaping between trees. Having nails at the ends of their fingertips
instead of on top of their fingertips allows them to efficiently grip
vertical surfaces and may help stabilize them on small branches (Sussman
2000). The pattern of twinning
that is common among golden-headed lion
tamarins is an unusual characteristic for primates because of the high
time and caloric investment necessary to carry and care for two infants
at once. Lion tamarins and other callitrichines that exhibit this
pattern have evolved social organizations and behaviors that include
cooperative breeding to decrease
the energetic strain on the mother and
increase infant survival (Sussman 2000).
RANGE
CURRENT RANGE MAPS (IUCN REDLIST):Leontopithecus chrysomelas
Golden-headed lion tamarins are endemic
to Brazil and are found in
small and disjunctive areas of forest in the coastal states of Bahia and
Minas Gerais (Rylands et al. 2002a). They are the northernmost species
of lion tamarins and are found in the very southeastern area of Bahia
and the extreme northeast of Minas Gerais within 150 km (93.2 mi) of the Atlantic
coast and at altitudes below 500 m (1640 ft). The range is bound by the Rio
de Contas in the north, the Rio Jequitinhonha in the south, the Atlantic
Ocean in the east, and a change in altitude and vegetation in the west
(de S. Pinto & Rylands 1997). The total area extends over about 19,000
km² (7336 mi²), but the forests in which they are found
are highly fragmented because of land use activities including cattle ranching
and cocoa cultivation. They are found in over 100 sites throughout their
range, but are protected only in Bahia at Una Biological Reserve, a 94
km² (36.3 mi²) area that has a golden-headed lion tamarin
population of 450 individuals as of 2000 (de S. Pinto & Rylands 1997; Rylands
et al. 2002a; Cruz pers. comm.). There are more golden-headed lion tamarins than all of the
other three species combined (L. rosalia,
L. chrysopygus,
and L. caissara), with the total wild
population estimated to be between 6,000 and 15,000 individuals (de S.
Pinto & Rylands 1997). There are about 600 golden-headed lion tamarins
in captivity around the world (Rylands et al. 2002a).
Key research on golden-headed lion tamarins began with Adelmar
Coimbra-Filho in the early 1970s and revolved around taxonomic history,
geographic distribution and habitat type. He was the first to set up a
captive breeding colony of the species and was instrumental in getting
the land set aside for Una, where long-term research on golden-headed tamarins
is still being conducted (Rylands et al. 2002b). Russell Mittermeier, James Dietz, Anthony
Rylands, and Becky Raboy have also contributed greatly to the current base of knowledge
about wild golden-headed lion tamarins while Kristel De Vleeschouwer and
Linda Van Elsacker have been driving forces behind captive research
(Rylands et al. 2002b).
HABITAT
Many habitats and vegetative types make up the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
and golden-headed lion tamarins are found in three of these distinct
regions. The coastal region in which golden-headed lion tamarins are
found is classified as southern Bahian lowland evergreen tropical rain
forest and supports primary
forests with trees as tall as 50 m (164 ft) with a sparse understory and an abundance of epiphytes (de S. Pinto & Tavares
1994; Rylands et al. 1991-1992). Many of the primary forests are
disturbed and have dense and bushy understories. There are also swampy
regions in the stream valley bottoms which support large numbers of
epiphytes, palms, and tree ferns, and areas of abandoned rubber
plantations which are in the process of succession. The other typical
forest type seen in this area is from cocoa cultivation, a crop that
needs shade to grow. In a system called cabruca, cacao plants
(Theobroma cacao) are grown in the shade under tall, canopy
trees leaving some habitat for the golden-headed lion tamarins (Rylands
1989; de S. Pinto & Tavares 1994; Rylands et al. 2002a). In the
evergreen tropical rain forest where golden-headed lion tamarins are
found, there is no distinct dry season, and rainfall and temperature
remain fairly constant throughout the year. The average temperature is
24°C (75°F) and annual rainfall is between 1300 and 2000 mm (4.27 and
6.56 ft), with the heaviest rainfall occurring from March to June and November
to December (Rylands 1993). The other coastal habitat in which they are
found is the restinga, coastal forest on sand very close to the ocean
(Rylands et al. 1991-1992). Both of these habitat types are within 70
km (43.5 mi) of the coast (de S. Pinto & Rylands 1997).

Photo: Sharon Savage
The inland region of their range is between 70 and 150 km (43.5 and 93.2 mi)
from the Atlantic coast and is a transitional area between the coastal forests
and higher altitude forests where the vegetation is considered
semideciduous tropical forest (Rylands
et al. 1991-1992; de S. Pinto &
Rylands 1997; da Silva & Casteleti 2003). There are fewer large trees
in this region and the trees are at a higher density than the evergreen
forest with large areas of undergrowth dominated by epiphytes (Rylands
et al. 1991-1992). In this area, there is a distinct dry season lasting
three to four months and annual rainfall is only about 1000 mm (3.28 ft) (de
S. Pinto & Rylands 1997).
ECOLOGY
Information about wild golden-headed lion tamarin ecology primarily comes from
research that has been conducted at Una Biological Reserve by Raboy and Dietz
since 1991. Comparative research on the ecology of golden-headed lion
tamarins and golden lion tamarins (L. rosalia) is unfolding and
preliminary results suggest that the two are not as similar as expected
given their taxonomic relationship. Care should be taken to avoid
assuming the two exhibit identical ecological behaviors such as
foraging, diet, and ranging patterns (Dietz 1997; Raboy & Dietz 2004).
Lion tamarins are active for about nine to 12 hours per
day, starting their day between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and ending it
between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. They utilize tree cavities as sleeping
sites and the entire group sleeps and leaves the nest site together in
the morning (Kierulff et al. 2002). There is limited availability of
sleeping sites in golden-headed lion tamarins' home range at Una Biological Reserve (Raboy et al. 2004). This may
be an ecological constraint as it affects how much they need to travel
in the morning to get to food resources and how far they need to move in
the evening to get to a sleeping site (Rylands 1993; Raboy & Dietz
2004). During the day, they spend time feeding, traveling, and resting.
Resting is most common during the middle of the day and is usually
accompanied by social activities such as grooming, playing, or remaining
in physical contact with one another. Traveling is most common during
the first and last hours of the day after leaving the nest site and when
looking for a sleeping site (Raboy & Dietz 2004). At Una, golden-headed lion
tamarins travel, on average, about 1750 m (1.09 mi) per day within their home
ranges, which are about 1.23 km² (.475 mi²). Most of their
time is concentrated in certain parts of their home ranges, probably related
to resource distribution or habitat quality centered in a particular area
(Raboy & Dietz 2004). At another site near Una, Lemos Maia Experimental Station
of the Cocoa Research Center, golden-headed lion tamarins have smaller home range
sizes, about .4 km2 (.154 mi2) and have day range lengths between 1410 and 2175 m
(.876 and 1.35 mi) (Rylands 1989). Golden-headed lion tamarins prefer foraging at
heights above 12 m (39.4 ft) and are generally found acquiring food between 13
and 19 m (42.7 and 62.3 ft). This is probably related to the presence of large bromeliads, important microhabitats at this level of the
forest that provide food resources (Rylands 1989).

Photo: Anne Zeller
Feeding occurs throughout the day, depending on what type of food items
are being acquired. Golden-headed lion tamarins are primarily frugivorous and over 70% of their
diet is made up of ripe fruits. Searching for and eating fruit is
primarily a morning activity, though they eat fruit throughout the day
if they find it. They also eat animal prey, such as insects and small
vertebrates, exudates, nectars, and
occasionally they are seen eating flowers (Kierulff et al. 2002; Raboy &
Dietz 2004). In order to obtain animal prey such as insects, insect
larvae, spiders, snails, frogs, lizards, bird eggs, and small snakes,
they exploit microhabitats in bromeliads and other epiphytes as well as
tree cavities, palm tree crowns, bamboo, vines, tree bark, fallen and
rotting wood, and leaf litter piles (Kierulff et al. 2002; Raboy & Dietz
2004). Their long, dexterous fingers allow them to search in a variety
of small spaces for insects and manipulate prey effectively (Rylands
1996). Insect foraging is seen primarily in the late morning and
afternoon hours. They also feed on exudates, though they are not as
specialized in this food resource as other callitrichines and
only eat that sap which is excreted from seed pods of a single plant,
Parkia pendula (Rylands 1989; Raboy & Dietz 2004). Because of the lack of
seasonality at Una, these lion tamarins do not experience periods of
food shortages like other species of Leontopithecus. Whereas other
callitrichines depend on gum and sap as a food source in the dry season,
when fruits are not available and insects are difficult to acquire,
golden-headed lion tamarins have relatively stable food supplies
throughout the year and use gums less frequently (Raboy & Dietz 2004).
Golden-headed lion tamarins are sympatric with three other species of
primates, the black tufted-ear marmoset (Callithrix kuhli), the
yellow breasted capuchin (Cebus xanthosternos), and the
northern masked titi (Callicebus personatus melanochir). The
tamarins do not compete for resources with these other species because
of differences in foraging techniques at different heights of the forest
and the exploitation of different animal prey (Rylands 1989; 1993).
They form mixed-species groups with the black tufted-ear marmosets
and often travel together with them for the entire day. During these
associations, individuals of both species use the same pathways in the
canopy, forage side-by-side in fruit trees, and coordinate periods of
travel and rest (Raboy 1998). Golden-headed lion tamarins and black
tufted-ear marmosets both utilize fruit as a major food resource and both are small and vulnerable to a number of predators. This interesting
pattern of association is probably beneficial to both species in
foraging benefits and increased detection of, and safety from, predators
(Raboy 1998). Because of their excellent skills as insect foragers,
golden-headed lion tamarins often facilitate the capture of insects by
other species as well. Birds like the white-fronted nunbird and the
woodcreeper follow behind the tamarins as they forage in microhabitats
and capture insects that are flushed out of bromeliads (Raboy 1998; Hankerson et al. in press).
Content last modified: July 20, 2005
Written by Kristina Cawthon Lang. Reviewed by Becky Raboy.
Cite this page as:
Cawthon Lang KA. 2005 July 20. Primate Factsheets: Golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) Taxonomy, Morphology, & Ecology . <http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/golden-headed_lion_tamarin>. Accessed 2019 December 13.