Disney welcomes 2 baby cotton-top tamarin monkeys
Disney’s Animal Kingdom has two wee additions. Make that very wee. A set of twin cotton-top tamarin monkeys have been born at the theme park, and they’re about 4 inches long.
The little ones are the first members of the critically endangered species to be born at Walt Disney World since 2001. They can be seen clinging to their co-parenting mom and dad in their habitat, jumping from branch to branch, in the park’s Discovery Island.
“Although cotton-top tamarins are considered a rare species with less than 7,500 remaining in the wild, having twins is quite typical for the species,” Dr. Mark Penning, vice president for animals, science and environment, wrote in a post on the official Disney Parks Blog. “Infants are completely dependent on their families for survival and are carried around on the backs of their family members for up to 14 weeks.”
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The gender of the new arrivals has not been determined yet, and they’ve not been given names.
The cotton-top tamarins, named for their distinctive white manes, are part of Disney’s relationship with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and its species survival plan. In addition, the Disney Conservation Fund has supported Colombia-based Proyecto Titi’s efforts to plant and protect trees that are home to the animals.
Tamarins live high in the treetops and forage through the canopy for the fruits and insects that make up their diet, Penning said. They are critically endangered because of deforestation and the illegal pet trade, he wrote.
The twins currently weigh about as much as a chicken egg, but they’re expect to grow … a little. Adult cotton-top tamarins are about the size of a squirrel and weigh less than a pound, Penning said.
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Other residents of Animal Kingdom’s Discovery Island include kangaroos, otters, flamingos, lemurs, invertebrates and vultures.
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