The Pygmy Marmoset, World's smallest Monkey

The picture at the end of this article is a screenshot of a man holding a monkey in his palm. Yes, for those that do not know, that's an actual monkey called the pygmy marmoset and it happens to be the smallest monkey in the world.

Any smaller than this, and we may object it to even be a monkey.

These little monkeys usually live in the Amazon rainforest in countries like Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. Perhaps you might find them in some exotic Zoos in other nations besides the ones listed.

Taking the measurements into perspective, the tiny body is about 12 to 15 cm long, and it weighs only 100 to 140 grams. You could imagine the real size since the image shows you what it's like relative to the palm of the man.

The tail of the monkey is longer than the rest of its body and that's a good thing because it helps the little one balance on tree branches. It usually has this golden brown, soft, fluffy fur.

They barely live alone, you'd mostly see them in small family groups of 2 to 9 monkeys. If you see one all alone by itself, it has been isolated as all animals or even Human beings can be isolated.

They have a natural habit of cooperation to raise their young ones. Most births are twins and the females usually give birth about twice a year.

What would they like to eat, just in case you want to feed one? They eat mostly tree sap and gum and they get that by chewing holes in the tree bark. But they also eat insects, fruits and small plants to get more nutrients.

They are actually very vocal for their size and they communicate a lot. They're active during the day and sleep during the night just like we do but they like to sleep in tree holes or dense branches.

Pygmy marmosets are small but very agile, just like you would expect a typical monkey to be. You see them jumping from one branch to the other and clinging on trees through the day.

A big problem they threatens the existence of these little creatures is deforestation. They live in the rainforest so deforestation destroys their very home. We also have the illegal pet traders as another big threat to their existence. Taking an animal from its natural habit is risky and is one of the factors that leads to extinction, especially if they're small in population.

The researchers and scientists that are most interested in these animals recently categorized them into two species, western and eastern pygmy marmosets.

These animals are very curious when they're in the wild, they like to explore any new object they find or sounds they hear.

Speaking of extinction, thankfully we have some of the Zoos and breeding programs helping to protect them and it's a good way to also teach people about conservation and the need to protect such fragile and unique creatures.

The YouTube video and source of screenshot

Screenshot taken from this YouTube video about the pygmy Marmoset