By Pam Martin
Geographic Range
The geographic range of the Leontopithecus caissara is limited to about 17,300 hectares in southeastern Brazil (Massicot, 2001). It was first discovered in 1990 and was thought to exist only on the small island of Superagui in the state of Parana. It has since been observed on the mainland in the adjacent state of Sao Paulo (Kleiman and Mallison, 1998).
Biogeographic Regions:
neotropical 
(native ).
Other Geographic Terms:
island endemic .
Habitat
L. caissara occupies deciduous rainforests (Flannery, 2001).
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
tropical .
Terrestrial Biomes:
rainforest .
Physical Description
(21.12 oz)
(12.01 in)
All four species of lion tamarins, including L. caissara, are also known as "Kings of the Jungle." Their tiny wrinkled faces are surrounded by tufts of hair that resemble a lion's mane. The mane, arms, and tail of L. caissara, are black, whereas the rest of the body has a golden color to it. Tamarins in general are monkeys the size of large squirrels (Newsweek, 1990). The average body mass is about 600 g, and the average length is about 30.5 cm (without the tail). The tail can be up to 43.2 cm long (Massicot, 2001). These tamarins have non-opposable thumbs, long digits for getting at insects and fruit, and claw-like nails for digging up insects under the bark of trees (Flannery, 2001).
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
Births of black-faced lion tamarins peak from September-March.
These animals mate monogamously. Male and female maintain a territory, on which they tollerate their non-breeding offspring.
Mating systems:
monogamous .
Black-faced lion tamarins are fairly social mammals living in groups ranging from 2 to 11 members (Massicot, 2001). They are mostly monogamous and both the male and female care for the young. They mate once a year and give birth usually to two offspring at a time, although triplets and quadruplets have been seen in the wild. Young are born fully furred with their eyes open (Nowak, 1999). The older twins from the previous year tend to remain and help raise the new young (Harper). The father carries the infants around while the mother nurses them every 2-3 hours. The birth peak is from September to March (Flannery, 2001). Weaning usually occurs by 12 weeks of age in captivity . Females reach sexually maturity around 18 months of age, whereas males mature sexually around 24 months (Nowak, 1999).
Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (internal ); viviparous .
As in all mammals, the mother nurses the young. The father is attentive in tamarins, however, and begins carrying the young part of the time within a few weeks of birth. By three weeks, the father has charge of the young almost all the time, except when they are nursing. Young from a previous litter may also help to carry the infants (Nowak, 1999).
Parental investment:
pre-fertilization (provisioning, protecting: female); pre-hatching/birth (provisioning: female, protecting: female); pre-weaning/fledging (provisioning: female, protecting: male, female); pre-independence (protecting: male, female); post-independence association with parents.
Lifespan/Longevity
Lifespan in this species has not been reported, but in another member of the same genus, L. rosalia, one individual lived in captivity for over 28 years (Nowak, 1999).
Behavior
Black-faced lion tamarins are diurnal and they seek shelter at night in tree cavities or holes. They are sensitive to direct sunlight and therefore spend the hottest parts of the day sheltered by the dense vegetation of the rainforest (The Wild Ones Animal Index, 2000).
Food Habits
Black-faced lion tamarins are primarily frugivorous, feeding on fruit, flowers, gum and nectar. However, they also eat insects, which they find under the bark of trees, as well as small lizards and snakes (Massicot, 2001).
Animal Foods:
reptiles; insects.
Plant Foods:
fruit; nectar; flowers; sap or other plant fluids.
Predation
- black-hawk eagles (Spizaetus tyrannus)
- ornate hawk-eagles (Spizaetus ornatus)
- Jaguars (Panthera onca)
- jaguarundis (Hepailurus yaguarondi)
- ocelots (Leopardus pardalis)
- tayra (Eira barbara)
Black-faced lion tamarins vary their sleeping spots to avoid predation (Harper). Some predators that have been reported include black-hawk eagles, jaguar, jaguraundi, ocelot, ornate hawk-eagles, and tayra.
Ecosystem Roles
Because it eats fruit, this species helps to disperse seeds. It also likely has some effect on populations of insects, snakes, and small lizards because of its predatory behavior on these animals. Because L. caissara is also a prey item, fluctuations in the population of these primates probably has some effect on its predators.
Key ways these animals impact their ecosystem:
disperses seeds.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
No negative impact has been indicated in the literature.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Impact of this species on humans is very limited, due to the small size of the population. However, as with all endangered primates, there is likely some ecotourism generated from these animals.
Ways that people benefit from these animals:
ecotourism .
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Critically Endangered.
US Migratory Bird Act: [link]:
No special status.
US Federal List: [link]:
Threatened .
CITES: [link]:
Appendix I.
Black-faced lion tamarins are among of the world's rarest mammals and the species listed as critically endangered by the IUCN (Massicot, 2001). The estimated wild population of this animal is less than 300 individuals (Harper). There are several groups working to protect the tamarins and their habitat. Such groups include Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, whose goal is to collect information regarding the natural history of this animal, along with basic habitat and behavioral data. This information is then used to educate the public, especially those living in or near the habitat of the tamarin (Prado). The group "Wildinvest," is working to help fund conservation projects for endangered or threatened animals such as black-faced lion tamarins. This group is supporting the black-faced lion tamarin conservation project, which is working to protect and restore the habitat, educate the public of the importance of conservation, as well as employing many other conservation management strategies (Massicot, 2001).
Contributors
Pam Martin (author), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Chris Yahnke (editor), University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.
