Potter Park Zoo Welcome Third Set of Tamarin Twins in Three Years

Potter Park Zoo Welcomes Third Pair of Tamarin Twins in Three Years

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: November 12, 2020 6:25 pm

The tamarin twins cling to an adult at the Potter Park Zoo

Photo Credit: Kaiti Chritz | Potter Park Zoo

Cotton top tamarins Yuri and LG at the Potter Park Zoo are helping to boost numbers of their critically endangered species with their third set of twins in as many years being born on October 2nd, 2020.

This is their third litter with all of them being twins. The other two were born in October 2018 and June 2019. The previous young remain at the Potter Park zoo with their parents and are helping to raise their new siblings.

The cotton top tamarin twins cling to their parents at Potter Park Zoo

Photo Credit: Kaiti Chritz | Potter Park Zoo

Helping their parents raise the new arrivals is an important part of a cotton top tamarins development and will help them develop the necessary skills to raise their own young in the future.

Members of Potter Park Zoo’s animal care team report that the infants are nursing regularly and becoming more interested in their environment each day.

The cotton top tamarin twins cling to their parents at Potter Park Zoo

Photo Credit: Kaiti Chritz | Potter Park Zoo

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Potter Park Zoo is part of the the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan which aims to create a viable population of these monkeys in zoos. The breeding of Yuri and LG was a recommendation of this plan. Currently 200 cotton top tamarins live at 60 AZA accredited zoos.

Each birth is important for this species with as few as 6,000 estimated to remain in the wild. Their main threat is habitat destruction with over 95% of their home having been cleared.

Currently the cotton top tamarin exhibit is closed as it is located indoors in the Bird & Reptile House. This means the twins are not viewable to the public.