Squirrel monkey Madonna has baby at Virginia Zoo
Madonna, a squirrel monkey at the Virginia Zoo, hasdelivered a new baby.
The baby was discovered clinging to Madonna's back Saturday morning by zookeepers.
"Squirrel monkeys are really fun to watch and have become quite the harbinger of spring here at the zoo," executive director Greg Bockheim said in a news release. "Seemingly every year we have a new baby squirrel monkey when spring is on its way."
This squirrel monkey is the 19th born at the zoo since 1967, Bockheim said.
The tiny primate, which has yet to be named, joins its mother, its father, Jeebes, and four other squirrel monkeys. Two of those monkeys will be transferred to other zoos within the next few weeks, the release said.
According to the zoo, squirrel monkeys, which are found in the tropical forests of Central and South America, have the proportionately largest brain of all primates. Adult squirrel monkeys range from nine to nearly 14 inches, plus a 13- to 17-inch-long tail, and weigh from one to just over two pounds. The males are usually larger.
Squirrel monkeys spend most of their time in trees and are primarily active during the day. Unlike many other New World monkeys, they use their tails not for climbing, but for maintaining balance as they run and jump among vines and branches, the release said. Squirrel monkeys are omnivorous, eating primarily fruits and insects. They live roughly 15 years in the wild, but zoo residents can reach 20 years old.