This strikingly beautiful monkey (Leontopithecus rosalia) was once captured for zoos or as an exotic pet, but the main reason for its decline is the loss of 90 per cent of its original Atlantic forest habitat. In 1980, fewer than 100 individuals remained in the wild but captive stock was reintroduced and the oldest conservation project in Brazil has successfully ensured that numbers since then have increased eightfold.
Golden lion tamarins live in social family groups and defend their territory loudly and belligerently, their open mouths and arched backs showing aggressive body language. Not all sounds are threats: tamarins have 17 different calls. Within the group, the females are groomed by the males while the young, usually twins, spend time playing and wrestling.
