NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere announced the birth of a new cotton-top tamarin monkey, a species that is classified by The International Union for Conservation of Nature as one of the most endangered primates in the world.
The baby's sex has yet to be determined, but it was born on May 29 to 8-year-old mom Caqueta and 17-year-old dad Pancho.
Caqueta has now had four successful births, so the Nashville Zoo has six cotton-top tamarins in their care, with the addition of this new baby.
Once the baby reaches sexual maturity, it will go to another zoo to be part of its breeding program to help maintain a sustainable conservation population with other AZA facilities in the United States.
According to the Zoo, the cotton-top tamarin's critically endangered status makes each birth in human care crucial to its survival. Cotton-top tamarins are battling deforestation of their natural habitat and illegal pet trade.
The Zoo has held cotton-top tamarins on exhibit since its 2018 addition of Expedition Peru: Trek of the Andean Bear. They are visible from the women's restroom, which was awarded America's Best Restroom by Cintas in 2019.
The monkeys are only native to the dry deciduous forests of Northwestern Colombia.
Fully grown, the cotton-top tamarin weighs about a pound and is around nine inches long. It primarily eats fruit, but its diet also consists of flowers, nectar, sap and insects.
