There are three new arrivals at Vienna Zoo in Austria, tiny Emperor Tamarin Monkeys who were born late last year. The pictures of the tiny babies have now been released online and soon went viral.
The little babies, known as kittens, are looked after by both their mother and father and at just over six-weeks old, they are the size of a human thumb.
Born on the 1st of December, they are the first offsprings of Tamaya and Purple, who themselves only weigh around 400gm.
Zoo director, Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck, broke the good news in a statement, saying:
"Our Emperor Tamarins Tamaya and Purple have had triplets. The hallmark of this marmoset species is its long, white moustache, which both males and females wear. Even with the three tiny ones, the beard is easy to see."
It is not yet known whether the monkeys are males or females, this will be determined later on, but for now, they spend most of the time hanging on to their father who passes them to their mother when they require to be fed.
The zoo added on a Facebook post:
"In the case of the bearded monkeys, rearing boys is a matter for men. Most of the time, Father Purple carries the young animals on his back. If the little ones get hungry, mother Tamaya takes over to suckle. The monkey minis get bolder every day. You are already making your first attempts at climbing."
Unsere Kaiserschurrbarttamarine-Drillinge 🧡 halten vor allem Vater Purple ordentlich auf Trab. 🐒 Bei den bärtigen Affen...
Posted by Zoo Vienna Schönbrunn on Wednesday, 6 January 2021
Emperor Tamarin Monkeys are native to South America and are found in the Amazon rainforest in Peru, Brazil and Bolivia. Usually operating in groups of two to eight, they are highly social and highly intelligent animals who forage in the rainforest for fruits and nuts, which makes up the majority of their diet.
Tamarins are also bold and inquisitive creatures who show little fear of humans in the wild. This could be due to the fact that they evolved deep in the rainforest from where humans posed little threat to them. The term 'Emperor' comes from the fact that their moustaches reminded biologists of the moustache sported by Emperor Bismarck of Germany.
This year, the Vienna Zoo celebrates its 270th year, making it the oldest zoo in the world.
h/t: Good News Network
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