Picture of the Month - Geoffroy's Tamarin
Sunday, 18 January 2026
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Geoffroy’s tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi) is a small New World monkey native to Central America, particularly Panama and parts of Costa Rica. This picture was taken at Gatun Lake in Panama. It is easily recognised by its distinctive black-and-white fur and reddish nape. Living in social groups, Geoffroy’s tamarins are active, agile and highly vocal, using a range of calls to communicate. Their diet is omnivorous, consisting of fruit, insects, nectar and small vertebrates. They play an important role in seed dispersal within tropical forests. Although adaptable, they are threatened by habitat loss and deforestation.
They can seem a bit grumpy – like the one in the
picture - mainly because of their sharp facial markings and intense
expressions. Geoffroy’s tamarins often look stern or suspicious, especially
when alert. Behaviour-wise, though, they’re not especially bad-tempered.
They’re lively, curious and quite social, but they can be noisy and feisty,
particularly when defending territory or competing for food. So while they may
look grumpy, it’s more a case of “serious face” than a genuinely grumpy
personality.
This picture is by Charles
J. Sharp, shared here with a Creative Commons
license.
