Photo: Cotton Topped Tamarin New Zealand

A cute little animal known as the Cotton Topped Tamarin resides at the Auckland Zoo in New Zealand.

The Cotton Topped Tamarin are small bodied monkeys that are easily recognized by the characteristic fan of their long, white hair on their heads and the very fine hair on their black-skinned faces. They have brown backs and the underparts of their arms and legs are whitish to yellow but the rear end and inner sides of their thighs are reddish-orange.

The Cotton Topped Tamarin has very distinguishable modified claws on all digits instead of the common nails found on other new world monkeys. They use these claws as a common form of transportation of running, bounding or galloping along branches as well as clinging and leaping between trees.

Their home at the Auckland Zoo in New Zealand is a smaller replica of their natural habitat in the country of Colombia where they inhabit tropical rainforests, open woodlands and secondary growth. The Cotton Topped Tamarin at the Auckland Zoo in New Zealand are fed insects, fruit and plants which is the majority percentage of their regular diet. ... continue below the picture...

...

While visiting Auckland, New Zealand be sure to visit the zoo and have a close look at the Cotton Topped Tamarin which is one of the cutest little mammals around. Look for the Cotton Topped Tamarin in the trees as they are well adapted for life in the branches.

Cotton Topped Tamarin, Saguinus oedipus, at the Auckland Zoo, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand.