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News & Events
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Twin Baby Monkeys in Zoo's Spotlight Post in the Oakland Tribune on Friday, January 23, 2004 Written by Laura Casey, Staff Writer Cotton-Top Tamarin Monkeys Oakland ~ The Cotton-Top Tamarin monkeys at the Oakland Zoo are small -- real small. Small enough to fit into a shoe box, with some wiggle-room left over. The zoo's two new baby Tamarins resemble balls of black fuzz with white tufts on top, about the size of a silver dollar. That is, if you can spot the twins at all on the backs of one of their six family members at the zoo. "Look at them!" a little girl in a pink jacket squealed at the twins' unveiling Thursday, the first day of the Chinese Lunar Year of the Monkey. "They are so cute!" "Oh! They are so tiny," Marion Wagner of Concord said when she finally spotted the two creatures hanging on the back of their brother. "These things are just so adorable." The two Cotton-Top Tamarins were born January 13, the fifth and sixth offspring of the zoo's original Tamarin couple. They each weighed about 8 ounces at birth, the approximate weight of two sticks of butter. They will weigh about 1.5 pounds when full-grown. Along with the babies' mother and father, their older siblings will help raise them, carrying them on their backs. "The family usually all take part in raising the little ones," keeper Kristi Martin said. "They are not born with parenting skills, so they have to learn them before having babies of their own." The monkeys are an unusual-looking bunch. Shocks of white hair frame their dark faces and bodies. They scurry quickly up and down the branches and fences of their zoo home, squeaking like mice when offered treats. Natives of Northwest Colombia, the Tamarin is one of the smallest monkeys in the animal kingdom. They are also endangered. The monkeys have been used in the past for medical research and to keep as pets. Their biggest threat today is deforestation. There are fewer than2,800 still living in the wild. But they do breed well in captivity. The babies will ride on their family members' backs until they are old enough to walk and hunt on their own. The Oakland Zoo in Knowland Park, 9777 Golf Links Road, is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $8.50 for adults and $5 for kids. Parking is $4. Call (510) 632-9525 for more information. The Oakland Tribune: Cityside
Oakland Tribune: General Contact Information
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Related links: - Oakland Tribune - Oakland Zoo |
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