Common Marmoset on Sugar Loaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro

Normally my wife and I avoid touristy things like Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro and head straight for the wildreness. But we had an extra day and so we took the canle car to the the station near the top. On the walk through the forest we were pleasantly surprised to see a number of intereting creatures including these (apparently introduced around 1929) and a Life Bird for me (Brazilian Tanager). Oh yes, and the view from the top is absolutely spectacular. In my opinion, it is one of the most amazing city vistas I have ever seen.

comments (4)

bhanuprakash4

Bull Frog

So this was a species created by humans?
Not naturally found species? Posted 8 years ago
1. Barry
  
  Lion
  
  Hi, thanks for the question and I am sorry that I didn't explain myself clearly. An "introduced" species means that it is not naturally found in the area where it is today. The common Marmoset was originally found only in North Eastern Brazil (you can see a great map by clicking on the info button for the species). It was released by people or escaped from zoos or animal parks and now lives and reproduces in the wild. There are many species like that today. In Europe, for example, racoons have been introduced from North America. Likewise, Starlings were introduced by someone to Central Park in New York City in the 1800s and are now everywhere and have become agricutural pests. Australia and New Zealand have long and tragic histories of people unwisely introducing non-native species only for them to decimate native wildlife. And no, the species wasn't created by humans (unlike house cats or dogs), but it is still non-native. Most biologists hate them, but on Sugar Loaf they don't seem to be doing any harm and they are cute and fun to watch. Posted 8 years ago

bhanuprakash4

Bull Frog

That's nice. I'm seeing this species for the first time.
Thanks for explaining.
It looks good and different. Posted 8 years ago
1. Barry
  
  Lion
  
  Yeah, Marmosets are great - htey are like little toy monkeys and are great fun to watch (like monkeys) but they never get aggressive (unlike monkeys). Normally they are really shy and hard to see in the wild, but there in the forests around Sugar Loaf, they are pretty tame (probably from all of the millions of tourists) and easy to see. I was thrilled, as I wasn't really expecting any wildlife from our "city tour". Posted 8 years ago

The Common marmoset

The common marmoset is a New World monkey. It originally lived on the Northeastern coast of Brazil, in the states of Piaui, Paraiba, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Alagoas and Bahia.

Info 12 4

Similar species: Primates

Species identified by Barry