This discovery is so remarkable because this distinctive primate was found in a forest only about 50 minutes away by small plane from the densely populated city of Manaus. This provides yet another reason to take immediate action to protect the Earth's tropical forests, which are being destroyed at an accelerated pace wiping out untold numbers of valuable plant and animal species. The dwarf marmoset lives on the west bank of the lower Aripuana River and along the east bank of the Madeira River in the central Brazilian Amazon. The marmoset's known distribution is the smallest of any primate in the Amazon. Found only in Brazil, the new marmoset increases the number of primates for Brazil to 77, with seven of these species discovered just since 1990 and 39 native only to Brazil.
Brazil claims the highest primate diversity of any country in the world.
The entire basin between the Rio Madeira and the Rio Tapajos has one of the highest levels of primate diversity on Earth. In spite of this, no protected area has been established in this part of Amazonia. Since the new marmoset seems to live exclusively along the major rivers and creeks in the area, and total numbers appear to be no more than a few thousand, the animal is considered vulnerable, and possibly endangered, according to Dr. Marc G.M. van Roosmalen , lead author of the Goeldiana report and discoverer of the dwarf marmoset. Slide illustrations and photos available upon request. CI has projects in 23 countries on four continents.