Pygmy There are at least ten distinct ways that marmosets can communicate using their voices. One of these ways is a trill that can be used to talk to other members of the same family from a great distance. A warning whistle that is both high and sharp, as well as a clicking sound, to communicate potential hazards and threats. In addition to this, they make a sound that is accompanied by specific facial expressions, body posture, and hair erection. Marmosets will also defend their territory by chasing each other and showing off their rumps by raising their tails and fluffing up their fur in an aggressive display.
Pygmy marmosets that are competing with one another will often use visual displays in times of potential danger to communicate their dominance status and alpha male status for the purposes of reproduction. These mobbing behaviors involve elaborate posturing and displays of strutting, jerky movements, and body swaying. Pygmy Marmosets will also mob predators and other animals. Pygmy marmosets have been observed harassing a wide variety of animals, including birds, monkeys, squirrels, snakes, and even human observers!
Genital display is another common method of communication utilized by Pygmy Marmosets. During this behavior, a Pygmy Marmoset of either sex will turn its back to the observer, arch its back, raise its tail in a stiff arch, and ruffle its body and tail hair. Interactions involving dominance, territorial defense, and sexual solicitation all make use of this behavior.
Pygmy Marmosets, on the other hand, use both chemical and vocal methods of communication. Trills, J-calls, and long calls are the three distinct varieties of vocalizations that are produced by Pygmy Marmosets.
The Pygmy Marmosets will trill when they are feeding, searching for insects, or traveling in groups. This call is used when they are in close proximity, typically no more than five meters apart.
J-calls are used for communicating over medium distances, and they consist of a series of short notes that are repeated by the caller. Trills and J-calls are two types of calls that are frequently heard in the Amazon rainforest. These calls are used to help inform and interact between group members as well as to maintain short range contact throughout the day.
The long call is something that is heard when the pygmy marmosets are traveling, it is a response to hearing calls from other groups, and it is given when the individuals are spread out over distances that are greater than 10 meters. It is common for a single Pygmy Marmoset to use this call in order to attract the attention of its potential mate. It sounds like long, high-pitched notes that are repeated over and over again, “kwee-kwee-kwee.”
Pygmy marmosets engage in chemical communication through the use of scent by rubbing the scent glands that are located on their chest, in the area around their anus, and on their genital areas. Pygmy marmosets are known to rub their scent glands on a surface, leaving a mark that other marmosets can pick up and smell. The new world monkeys have a specialized second nose, which enables them to be particularly attuned to the chemical cues that are present in their surroundings. Chemical signals are also used by female Pygmy Marmosets to inform males of their reproductive status. This is another application of chemical communication. Because of the scent glands, males are able to determine when a female is at her most fertile.