Cotton Top Tamarins of Timbavati Wildlife Park

Greetings and salutations friends of Timbavati Wildlife Park and welcome to the week of the Cotton Top Tamarin. Our little friends hail from the forests of South America and their most recognizable feature is their namesake, the Cotton Top. These little creatures live in the trees for most of their lives, I guess it’s probably best as they are diminutive in stature and probably pretty low on the food chain. I mean South America has spiders big enough to take down this little critter.

These are some of the smallest primates on the planet and their average weight is about a pound. They live in groups that are called troops. A troop is made up mostly of males and is led by the eldest female. The cotton top is an omnivore who lives on a diet of fruit, insects and rodents. The cotton top also likes green plants eggs and tree sap.

The cotton top marks its territory by dragging its rear end down the trunk of a tree and leaving its scent on it. It will also rub its scent on its feet and climb up and down the trees with that scent on it. I mean they take the rear end seriously, when two opposing groups of cotton tops meet they display of aggression is to show each other their rear ends. That’s a mean bit of drama there lol.

Their gestation period is 183 days and a female usually gives birth to twins at the end of that cycle.

The next time you’re in Timbavati Wildlife Park, stop in our nursery and say hello to our cotton top tamarins. Here are more fun facts in this week’s video.

The Pigs of Timbavati Wildlife Park

Welcome to the week of the Pig! There are some interesting facts about pigs many people don’t really know about. Let’s get started!

Pigs have been known to be a “dirty” animal. That is a common misconception based on the fact that they will roll around in mud to keep cool. Sweat glands are few and far between for these animals not allowing their bodies to adjust to the temperature which is why they will roll in mud. Pigs are actually quite clean and careful not to soil areas where they will eat and or sleep.  

Baby pigs are called piglets and a group of piglets is called a swift whereas a group of older pigs is called a sounder. Piglets can weigh around 3 pounds at birth and can grow to be anywhere from 300-700 pounds and then some!

Pigs have large heads with long snouts. They have sensitive nostrils and an incredible sense of smell. This comes in handy when using their strong snouts to search and root the ground for food.  

Pigs are a very peaceful animal and just as social. They will form close bonds with other individuals. They will lay together as they love close contact.

Check out the video below to hear more fun facts and see our amazing pig family at Timbavati Wildlife Park! 

Until next time!

Petting Areas

Our understanding of our place on this planet is inherently intertwined with every living plant and animal and the planet itself. I am not sure if you can completely appreciate the world that we live in without spending time interacting with the animals that we share this planet with. That’s the magnitude of emotion that many people like me experience when they visit our petting areas.

The petting areas in Timbavati Wildlife Park are adjacent to our animal nurseries, we keep a lot of younger animals here while they grow big and strong enough to rejoin their respective species. We also spend a significant amount of time working with these young critters acclimating them to daily interaction with humans, being fed and posing for selfies. :)