Daniel Manaigre, age 13, of St. Boniface, Monitoba, Canada, for his question:
WHAT IS A MARMOSET?
Monkeys are grouped into two classifications by the scientists: the New World monkeys which are found in Central and South America and the Old World monkeys which are found in Asia and Africa. New World monkeys have nostrils spaced widely apart while those of the Old World monkeys are close together. New World monkeys have 36 teeth, while those from the Old World have 32, as do human beings.
About 200 different species of monkeys can be found in the tropical areas of Central and South America, Africa and Asia.
Old World monkeys include baboons, colobus monkeys, macaques and langurs while in the New World classification are all the others. This doesn't include the apes: chimpanzees, gibbons, gorillas and orangutans. Monkeys and apes differ in many ways.
One member of the New World monkey family is called the marmoset. He is considered to be among the smallest of the world's monkeys. An adult is often only six inches long, with the largest measuring less than a foot long.
A marmoset has thick, soft hair that covers his entire body. His hairy tail is usually longer than his body. He often has tufts of hair on top of his ears and will occasionally have a beard or mustache or both. One variety, called the golden marmoset, has hair on his head that looks very much like a lion's mane.
Marmosets can be found in the tropical forests of South America and Panama.
What does a marmoset eat? He likes spiders, fruit and insects.
Marmosets travel through the forests in family groups. They scamper from tree to tree very much like squirrels. They romp only during the day and at night sleep in holes in trees.
A marmoset is extremely shy. If he is startled, he will quickly flee, giving shrill cries as he departs.
Father marmoset has an interesting job in the family circle. When traveling through the trees from one spot to another, it is dad's job to carry the young on his back.
Marmosets, like all monkeys, have long arms and legs that help them climb, run and leap. They can use their hands and feet smoothly to grasp objects. Their big toes on their back legs look and move much like thumbs. Their long tails help them to keep their balance as they move through the trees and some even use their tails to grasp branches while climbing.