Lion tamarins are losing their homes because of habitat destruction. This part of Brazil was one of the first areas to be colonized. Crowding in the surrounding cities makes people want to move to rural areas, the rainforest. New rainforest settlers trying to make a living as farmers clear rainforest, the home of tamarins, to grow cash crops. Agriculture, industry and urban expansion all threaten the habitats of lion tamarins.
Tamarins are diurnal , meaning they like to seek shelter for the night in tree cavities.
They are sensitive to direct sunlight, so during the hottest part of the day they stay in the dense vegetation of the rainforest. Tamarins are omnivores, meaning they like to eat both plants and animals. They spend a lot of their day looking for their favorite foods like small fruits, insects like wild roaches, and even small lizards and snakes. Tamarins talk to each other by thrills, whines and clucks.