PREVIEW

A critically endangered cotton-top tamarin has been born at Marwell Zoo, coinciding perfectly with Endangered Species Day on May 17th.

The new arrival, confirmed to be a male, joins his older siblings, Pugsley and Pubert, born last May, and his parents, Gurt and Mico.

To celebrate the special occasion, the zoo is inviting the public to help choose his name via their Facebook page. Keeping with the Addams Family theme, the options are Fester, Lurch, and Gomez.

As the new addition awaits his perfect name, his family members take turns carrying him, allowing him to cling to their fur before he becomes fully independent at around five months old. Big brother Pugsley has already been spotted playing with him and teaching him to forage for food.

Amy Deny, Animal Team Leader for Primates & Small Mammals, shared, “Cotton-top tamarins are native to Colombia and are critically endangered, with only around 2,000 individuals left in the wild. They are threatened by residential and agricultural development and the pet trade. This is an exciting time for our troop at Marwell as this is the second time our pair has reproduced. Mico and Gurt play a crucial role in the EAZA ex-situ program, ensuring a healthy population of tamarins in human care to conserve the species.

“Last year was overwhelming for the first-time parents, but this time they have the help of juveniles Pugsley and Pubert. Cotton-top tamarins cooperatively rear their offspring, meaning all troop members take turns carrying the babies, giving the parents a chance to rest. While dad Mico does most of the work, older brother Pugsley has also started sharing the load, taking the baby outside while playing and foraging for food. The babies have an incredible grip and cling tightly to the carrier while leaping around the habitat, which, although a little nerve-wracking, is great fun to watch.

In the wild, cotton-top tamarins live in humid forests where they leap from tree trunk to tree trunk using their claw-like nails to grip onto bark. When resting or sleeping, they coil their tails over one shoulder and along their back and communicate through contact calls.

Cotton-top tamarins are named for the long tufts of white fur on top of their heads. They eat fruit, flowers, nectar, and small prey such as frogs, snails, and insects.