Red handed tamarin

A monkey by many names!

Here at Folly Farm we call them red handed but they are also known as Midas or golden handed…and you can see why.

They get their colourful names from their hands which are covered in a reddish orange hair. It almost looks like they’re wearing gloves doesn’t it?

They’re exceptional climbers and love nothing more than, well, monkeying around in the trees alongside the Amazon river throughout Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, and Venezuela.

They are very sociable creatures and live in family groups of between four and 16 members with the group being led by the eldest female, not male.

Conservation

Generally not considered to be in any danger of extinction their numbers are declining in the South American rainforests due to habitat loss through deforestation.

The red handed tamarin is currently part of one of our European stud book programmes (ESBs).

Fun facts about the red handed tamarin

They have been known to jump 18m from tree to ground without injury. That’s only seven metres less than the height of our big wheel and double the length of the World record for the long jump!
They are omnivorous meaning they eat both plants and animals including insects, rodents and reptiles.
They stick together – if one tamarin is attacked then the others will rush to its aid.

Latin name
Saguinus midas

Class
Mammalia

Order
Primates

Family
Callitrichidae

Conservation status
Least concern

Red handed tamarin questions and answers

Impress your friends with everything you know about the red handed tamarin!

Are tamarins nocturnal? +

No they’re not, they’re diurnal, which means just like you and me they most active during the day and like to sleep at night.

Who looks after the babies? +

It’s actually the males who look after and groom the infants more than the females do. Older siblings also help out too.

They look tiny, how big do they grow? +

They are quite small, and very cute, growing to roughly 44cm including their tail and they weigh only 400-550 grams.