Marmoset's and Pitch Perception!

In taking a look at Marmosets, scientists have found that they process pitch much the same way as humans do. This is a really cool look at how they have studied the Marmoset's pitch perception! http://www.futurity.org/marmosets-monkeys-pitch-1080182-2/

The Common Marmoset

There are 3 big rules that I need you to remember when it comes to marmosets. 

1. They don't like bright lights.

2. never get them wet.

3. Never feed them after midnight. 

We all saw what happened last time someone broke those rules!

Ok I am kidding, those were the lovable Mogwai that turn into "Gremlins" in the 1984 Steven Spielberg's movie. That's the first thing that came to mind when I saw that picture so I ran with it. :)

The Common Marmoset is a native of South America. Atlantic coast Brazil. You can usually find them in a tree in jungle areas. They are arboreal, which means that they don't spend a lot of time on the ground. They are really fast moves that can jump long distances. Marmosets are opportunistic so they will move into new territories if they get the chance.

Marmosets have varied diets. They eat spiders, tree sap, bird eggs, small vertebrates are all in their diets. The males can be up to 1 pound in size and the females will be bit lighter. They are unique primates in that the males and females are almost indistinguishable. 

Marmosets are very social animals and live in groups from either 3 to 17 marmosets at a time. The gestation period for Marmosets is around 150 days. It is very common for them to give birth to twins and there are times when they can give birth to 3 or 4 young at once. 

Next time you're in Timbavati Wildlife Park check out our Marmosets. Jest remember when you are watching them that they are as interested in you as you are in them.

The Ring-tailed Lemur AKA Lemur Catta

The Ring-tailed Lemur as pictured above looks a lot to me like a 4 pound squirrel. It isn't part of the rodent family at all though. In fact, it's actually a primate. Unlike its monkey cousins and contrary to this picture, the Ring-tailed Lemur spends a lot of time on the ground in its native country of Madagascar.

Ring-tailed Lemurs are social animals that live in small packs called troops. A troop of lemurs can be as large as 30 animals but typically has around 15-17 members. Female Ring-Tails are the troop leaders and stay with their troops for life. Males will take up with a troop but can move from troop to troop.

The Ring-tailed Lemur enjoys a diet of fruits, figs, flowers, leaves and insects, you know everything in the Madagascar Food Pyramid. :) They aren't great swimmers so they avoid going into water. Through grooming and a steady diet of sun bathing, they rarely soil their fur.

When the Ring-Tailed Lemur troop is threatened they sound an alarm thats very distinctive. Check it out.

The Ring-tailed Lemur has a breeding season that lasts about 2 weeks. The gestation period lasts around 130 days. One way that males in troops compete for dominance is through stink fights. I know right? See lemurs have glands in their wrists and under their arms. A male will get his tail filled with stink by rubbing it under his arms and then shake it at his opponent. I think whoever walks away the smelliest is the looser. You can view this break dance battle in the video below at your own risk. I never know who's won those either LOL.

Timbavati Wildlife Park is home to a small troop of Ring-tailed lemurs and we hope you enjoy them on your next visit to our park. 

What Do You Know About Porcupines?

Right!!! Do not touch them! I think that most of us can agree on the fact that we won’t be handling any porcupines anytime soon. We all know them for their notorious B.A.R.B.’s (bad boy take that take that) but I would suggest that the average person has never given much thought to how beautiful a creature the porcupine actually is.  Check out this video I found of this one squeaking like a little cute porcupine!

Yep they make a noise and it much more pleasant than a camel spider, mater of fact if you ever hear a camel spider its probably too late and you’ve already been bitten. Anyways lol, moving on from that :). Let’s begin with what we already know.

Porcupines have quills. If you have ever seen the movie "Critters", a porcupine’s quills are large and of course dangerous. The slightest touch can dislodge them. The quills also have small barbs on them like the stinger on a bee or like the bark on a fishing hook. This means that if you’re unfortunate enough to have gotten hooked on a porcupine’s quills that you’re going to experience a significant amount of trauma removing them.

Here are some other interesting porcupine tidbits. Their backs aren’t all quills; the quills are mixed with hair. The quills will lay flat until the porcupine feels threatened and then they are extended to protect the little critters. Once the quills have come out they grow new ones.

Porcupines are herbivores, in the winter they munch on tree bark and evergreen needles. In summer they consume things like, grasses, leaves and dandelions. They have even been known to gnaw on canoe paddles at campsites. Porcupines are nocturnal and are good swimmers. I am not sure if that makes them skinny dippers or not, haa whatevs.

Porcupines live in dens, which can range from rock crevices to hollow logs to crawl spaces under your house. They seem to prefer grasslands but are equally at home in rocky terrains. The African Crested Porcupine is a native of Mount Kilimanjaro and has been spotted at elevations as high as 11,000 feet, that’s over 2 miles high.

There are about two-dozen different kinds of porcupines. Timbavati Wildlife Park is home to two different species, The North American Porcupine and the African Crested Porcupine. I think you get the “Point”. :)