A case of maternal infanticide in the black tufted-ear marmoset Callithrix penicillata (Primates: Callitrichidae)

This brief report provides a detailed description of maternal infanticide in an introduced group of black tufted-ear marmosets (Callithrix penicillata), living in an urban park of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. In November 2017, the dominant female of the group (mother of twins) ate facial parts and the whole skull of an infant that was approximately five days old. This case of infanticide seems to mostly fit the hypothesis of parental manipulation and nutritional resources, but its ultimate cause remains unknown.