The relation of long bone diaphyseal length to chronological age in immature saddle-back tamarins,Saguinus fuscicollis

Long bone diaphyseal lengths were measured on a cross-sectional sample of 46 immature saddle-back tamarins,Saguinus fuscicollis. All individuals were colony born and ranged in age from 1 to 245 days. Data were collected on each of the three long bone elements of the fore- and hindlimbs. To evaluate the relation of long bone length to chronological age, the data were arranged into age classes corresponding to birth and the median ages of 1, 3, 5 and 7 months. Descriptive statistics were generated for each long bone element for each age-class. Class means and standard errors were plotted. The inferred growth pattern was initially rapid from birth to approximately 3 months followed by a period of deceleration. The pattern was consistent for all long bone elements. By 7 months, diaphyseal lengths approached or exceeded 80% of the adult mean diaphyseal size determined for this species. Further results indicated the absence of any significant sex difference in long bone lengths for any age-class sampled.