Social media helps fuel China's illegal craze for 'thumb monkeys'

Year of the monkey has sparked a trend for pygmy marmosets, the world's smallest monkey, as pets. But conservationists warn the animals rarely survive in captivity, reports Mongabay

The "year of the monkey" dawned recently in China - and with it, a trendy new exotic pet. Pygmy marmosets are all the rage among China's wealthy elite, who are forgoing legality and snapping up baby monkeys at around $4,500 (3,200) each. The internet has exploded with photos of the so-called "thumb monkeys," while conservationists and primate scientists are lamenting the situation.

Weighing in at just over 100 grams (equivalent to about 20 US nickels), pygmy marmosets (Cebuella pygmaea) are the world's smallest monkeys. They're native to the rainforests of South America's western Amazon Basin, where they live in small groups of around a dozen individuals. They aren't considered threatened because of their large range and relative prevalence, but they are in decline, according to the IUCN, primarily due to the pet trade.