Habitat

Largely restricted to river-edge forest and mature evergreen forest

Natural behavior

Diurnal and arboreal lifestyle. Showing squirrel like patterns of locomotion and can leap up to 5m. Territorial occupying home ranges, using scent marks to define territory. Rising shortly after sunrise and retiring late afternoon, to nesting sites in close proximity to feeding source. Special elongated incisors allow them to bore into trees and feed on its sap. Once a tree no longer produces satisfactory output the troop will relocate to a new primary feeding source

Description

Small, speckled tawny fur, claw like nails, long tail which is longer than their body and marked with dark rings

Distribution

The Amazon, South America; Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru

Diet

Omnivore; peak feeds occur early morning and again in the late afternoon. Eating large amounts of tree gum, flowers, nectar, fruit, grubs, insects and spiders

Reproduction

No strict breeding season. Only the dominant pair will produce offspring. An extremely cooperative system of infant care exists where offspring are carried, groomed and fed by the father and older offspring. Females will enter a postpartum estrus after around 3 weeks of birth, which can result in another pregnancy

Social structure

Forms small family troops of 2-10, usually consisting of a monogamous breeding pair and their immature offspring. Juveniles will usually remain within the group for at least 2 subsequent birth cycles and assist with raising young infants.

Threats

Habitat loss from logging for the timber industry and clearing for agriculture. Illegal pet trade