A critically endangered cotton-top tamarin monkey was born at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire.
Maxi, the mother, welcomed her tiny baby on Thursday, weighing in at just 40 grams (1.4 ounces)—about the same as a standard chicken egg.
This birth marks a significant milestone, as Maxi and Rico, the baby’s father, are the first breeding pair of cotton-top tamarins at the park.
Abbi Wheeler, one of the keepers, expressed her excitement over the arrival, especially since there are only an estimated 6,000 of these monkeys left in the wild.
The birth also happened to coincide with the International Day of the Cotton-Top Tamarin.
Keepers realized Maxi was pregnant when they noticed her weight steadily increasing during weekly checks.
Her labor was first spotted on the park’s CCTV cameras.
Ms. Wheeler explained: “Cotton-top tamarins usually sleep through the night, but Maxi was awake for an hour one night, which triggered an alert via the camera system. It was unusual; when we watched, we saw her make a jumping movement, and suddenly a baby appeared, clinging to her fur.”
The gender of the new baby is still unknown, and it is expected to be fully weaned at around 15 weeks old.
“They share parenting responsibilities since carrying the baby is energy-intensive. The mum holds the baby while feeding, and then the dad takes over to carry the infant,” Ms. Wheeler added.