Pygmy marmosets (Callithrix pygmaea) – Source: Daily Mail, London

From Daily Mail August 2006:

What a pair – these funny little creatures are albino Pygmy Marmoset monkeys, born at the Froso Zoo in Ostersund, Sweden this week.

But now one is fighting for its life after his twin brother died just hours after they became the first albinos of their breed to be born in captivity.

The Pygmy Marmoset, the world’s smallest monkey which all grown up reaches just 35cm and weighs barely 100 grams, is quite rare, but this albino pair is particularly unusual.

The pair, pictured snuggled into a zookeeper’s thumb almost as big as them, are twins, a common occurrence in Pygmy Marmosets, which are more likely to be born in pairs than single births.

“We were so sorry when the twin died,” said zoo owner Ake Netterstrom. “We put in all available resources to save him but that did not help. It was very sad but it is likely he had a lower immune defence because he was albino.”

“We don’t have time to mourn him as we have to focus on saving the other one.” The small squirrel-like critters are expert tree-climbers, they have ringed tails that are as long as their bodies and claws specially designed for scaling trees.

They use their tiny teeth to gouge holes in tree bark and also nibble on tree vines and fruit.

The monkeys, which are found in the wild in the upper Amazon basin in South America, are a popular exhibit in zoos and in captivity they can live for up to 11 years.

They communicate with each other through high pitched clicks, squeaks, whistles, and trills.

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