The Evolutionary Morphology of Tree Gouging in Marmosets

The marmosets, Callithrix spp. and Cebuella pygmaea, are unique among anthropoids in their habitual biting of trees with their anterior teeth to elicit exudate flow. This tree-gouging behavior is thought to offer certain ecological benefits to marmosets, such as routine access to an under-exploited resource, as well as have specific influences on their behavioral ecology.