Brookfield, Ill. — Guests visiting Brookfield Zoo will see a few new faces in its Tropic World: South America habitat—a squirrel monkey born on March 10 and two cotton-top tamarins, who recently arrived.
 
Squirrel Monkey
The squirrel monkey, whose gender is yet to be determined, was born to 8-year-old Gizmo, an experienced mother having given birth to five additional offspring. The baby’s sire is 8-year-old Zeus. The pairing of the parents was based on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP). An SSP is a cooperative population management and conservation program for select species in accredited North American zoos and aquariums. Each plan manages the breeding of a species to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable.

The infant will spend between 5 and 10 weeks riding on its mother’s back before venturing off to explore on its own. Young squirrel monkeys are weaned between 4 and 6 months of age, after which time they begin eating a diet of fruits, seeds, insects, small lizards, and bird eggs.

Zoogoers will notice that even with her baby on her back, Gizmo and the other squirrel monkeys are very adept climbers and move on all four limbs when walking or running across the tree branches. The tail is used more for balancing rather than gripping.

Although not endangered in their native tropical forests of northern Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname, the species’ population is declining mainly due to hunting for meat, habitat loss, and the pet trade.
 
Cotton-top Tamarin Pair
It has been a few year’s since cotton-top tamarins lived at Brookfield Zoo. Now, guests can see a new pair on a peninsula they share with the Zoo’s Hoffman’s two-toed sloths in Tropic World. Sebastian, a 12-year-old male, and his mate, 8-year-old Cassidy, arrived recently from another accredited zoo. Their pairing is also based on a recommendation from AZA’s Species Survival Plan.

One of the smallest monkeys—measuring up to 10 inches in length not including the tail—the cotton-top tamarin weighs about 1 pound and is slightly bigger than a squirrel. The species is named after the massive crown of white hair, which is thought to serve a few purposes. One is to attract a mate during courtship rituals. Additionally, in certain situations, the tamarin may want to make itself appear bigger than it actually is by raising the hair on its head. When visiting the tamarins at the Zoo, guests may hear them vocalizing. They have quite the repertoire of calls, including whistles, trills, and chirps.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the cotton-top tamarin is critically endangered with only about 7,400 individuals remaining in the wild and the population decreasing. The main threats are the illegal pet trade and habitat loss. The species’ habitat of tropical forests in Columbia, South America, has been drastically reduced to approximately 5 percent due to deforestation, which is putting the cotton-top tamarin at risk of extinction.

Those interested in helping care for the squirrel monkeys or cotton-top tamarins at Brookfield Zoo can contribute to the Animal Adoption program. For $35, a recipient receives the Basic Package, which includes a 5-inch x 7-inch color photograph of the chosen species, a personalized certificate of adoption, a fact sheet on the species, an Animal Adoption program decal, and an invitation to the exclusive 2023 Animal Adoption summer event. To purchase, visit www.CZS.org/AnimalAdoption.