Weighing less than an apple, the pygmy marmoset is the smallest monkey in the world. They have the ability to jump 30 times their body length across treetops in the Amazon jungle.

Pygmy Marmosets are the smallest monkeys in the world and at Adelaide Zoo we are lucky to be home to five of these miniature primates!

Marmie, the oldest Pygmy Marmoset, was born in 2002 in England and arrived at Adelaide Zoo in 2006. Marmie loves being outdoors and watching what her keepers are doing. Sultanas are his favorite dish! His companion is Eva, born in October 2015.

Marmie and Eva can be difficult to find because they are so small, so standing quietly and waiting for them to move will give you the best chance of observing them.

The Pygmy Marmoset is native to the tropical forests of the western Amazon basin in South America. These small monkeys live in lowland, tropical evergreen forests, often in river deltas.

This is the world’s smallest monkey and can fit comfortably in an adult’s hand with an average weight of less than 120 grams! They are rugged-looking but adorable monkeys with squirrel-like hands and feet, long manes of fur around their faces, and tails longer than their bodies. Their tiny bodies are covered in orange-brown fur, which can sometimes have a greenish tint! Despite their size, Pygmy Monkeys can jump up to five meters!

Pygmy apes live in small family groups and females can give birth to twins twice a year. Baby marmosets are no bigger than a human thumb!

Tree sap is their favorite food so it’s a good thing they are perfectly designed with claw-like nails and elongated incisors to bore holes into trees to let the sap seep from the inside.

Pygmy marmosets are still abundant in the world, but they have special activities such as habitat and pet trade.