Nice Surprise

A close encounter with a Golden-handed Tamarin.

In general it is difficult to photograph a Golden-handed Tamarin. First of all they are the smallest monkeys I've seen so far in Kabalebo (body length 25 cm, tail 35 cm). Second: they are fast moving animals giving you barely the chance to even notice them, let alone observe them. But sometimes I do get lucky.

On my way to the River Cabin I spotted one (!!) Golden-handed Tamarin sitting in a Cecropia tree. This tree had nothing to bare, meaning this little monkey was just traveling from tree to tree. It was alone as it was the last of its group too. The others already went hiding in the dense bushes behind the tree, but this one was a bit slow.

It kept looking at the strange people (in a golf car) on the ground. Even when it decided to follow the others it kept looking at us.

Its uniform blends perfectly well with its surroundings, especially with a darker background. From a distance it does look like a small cat, but a closer look ....

... still reveals a Golden-handed Tamarin. 

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