Common marmoset

These cute little creatures are native to Brazil. That means they are found nowhere else in the world.

Sometimes referred to as the cotton eared marmoset, their ‘tufts’ only appear as they get older and give them a very distinctive look.

Marmosets are very expressive. They have a number of different facial expressions and noises that they use in order to show what they’re thinking and how they’re feeling. If they feel angry or threatened they will frown, and if they’re scared they’ll flatten their ‘tufts’ against their head.

They’re very busy little creatures too. Although they never travel far they are active for most of the day. They start around thirty minutes after sunrise and don’t stop until roughly half an hour before sunset.

The leaders of a group of marmosets tend to be the breeding male and female, with their offspring the next in line. For the rest of the group, social ranking is decided through age.


There are lots of them and they’re not currently threatened although roughly 80% of their habitat has been cleared since records began. They’re also popular in the pet trade. Conservation efforts are in place to try to reduce the damage done to their natural habitat or homes.

Common marmoset questions and answers

What do they eat?
It’s quite a varied diet. They eat anything from bird’s eggs to small vertebrates, from tree sap to spiders…yum!

How long do marmosets live for?
Roughly twelve years.

Do they have many predators?
They do. These include members of the cat family, snakes, owls and birds of prey.

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