A pair of fluffy new faces can be seen at Stone Zoo in the form of cotton top tamarin twins.
Assistant curator of Stone Zoo, Pete Costello said, “The babies appear bright, healthy and alert and the group has been very attentive to these new additions. As with any new births, we are closely monitoring the mother and babies.”
Mum, Amazon and dad, Orinoco welcomed their twins on July 4th. Currently the babies whose gender is yet to be determined are on exhibit with their family which consists of mum, dad and their five siblings.
“Cotton-top tamarins are very social animals and our guests will have the unique opportunity to observe the family dynamics and watch as the twins grow up,” added Costello.
Zoo New England, who operate Stone Zoo, are part of the Cotton-Top Tamarin Species Survival Plan (SSP) which is run by the Association of Zoo and Aquariums (AZA) with the aim of maintaining diverse and demographically stable captive populations of this species.
Cotton top tamarins are native residents of Colombia’s tropical rainforests. They are named for a crest of white hair which stems from the forehead over the shoulders.
Unfortunately this species is listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as Critically endangered.
Photo Credit: Zoo New England/Dayle Sullivan-Taylor
