The diet of Saguinas imperator consists mainly of fruits, insects, and tree sap. It feeds on fruit, flowers, and nectar of different species of trees, usually those with small crowns. Their light weight enables them to feed on the outermost twigs and branches of such trees, giving them access to food sources that are less readily available to larger monkeys. Emperor tamarins get most of the protein in their diet through eating invertebrates such as locusts, beetles, butterflies, spiders, and ants. Their small size also enables them to stalk large insects very discreetly.
Emperors utilize tree sap that is left on trees from the previous tapping of other animals.
The sap is an additional source of valuable carbohydrates and minerals. The estrous cycle of Saguinas imperator is about 15 days, and the female mates with the all of the males of the group. A mother feeds her baby every 2-3 hours for about a half hour each time, after which she returns the baby to the father. Most of these tamarins become sexually mature around16-20 months of age. Behavior Emperor tamarins are active by day and are very graceful, friendly, and playful monkeys.