The future for the family is looking bright.
With mum and dad relaxed, they allow the male twin
to take his first steps towards independence.
It’s a big feat
when you are 10 metres off the ground.
Two months old,
he’s learning by copying his older brothers,
but he’s not ready to join in on the play fighting just yet.
All the commotion hasn’t gone unnoticed…
.. an ocelot.
It’s only twice the size of a house cat,
but to the tiny primates, it’s a giant
and could kill each of them with a single bite.
The lion tamarins are unaware
of the danger approaching below.
The ocelot’s speckled coat
makes him disappear amongst the undergrowth.
His feet are six centimetres wide,
larger than a lion tamarin’s head.
They allow him to tread stealthily.
And ocelots are agile enough to hunt
in the trees.
Something isn’t right.
He’s been spotted.
The family needs to abandon
the tree quickly.
For the ocelot,
it’s not worth the chase.
He’s a nighttime hunter
and this is his sleeping tree
at the heart of his territory,
three miles wide.
The family must escape from this area quickly.
Come nightfall,
the cat will be back on the hunt.
