An adorable set of twin cotton-top tamarin monkey babies was just born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! The rare twins join the family of critically endangered cotton-top tamarins at the park.
It’s always an exciting time when new members join Disney’s Animal Kingdom family. Just last month, a Red River Hog Piglet became the newest resident at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. And now, Disney has announced the arrival of an incredibly rare set of twins to the park at Animal Kingdom.
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Rare Cotton-top Tamarin Monkey Babies Born in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Photo Courtesy of Disney
Disney has shared that two new cotton-top tamarins have arrived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom — a set of twins! While twins are not uncommon for cotton-top tamarins, this is the first set of cotton-top tamarins twins to arrive in Disney’s Animal Kingdom since 2001. The arrival of the twins on June 12th has doubled the number of cotton-top tamarins at the park! The species is considered a rare one, with less than 7,500 remaining in the wild.
As infants, cotton-top tamarins are completely dependent upon their parents and are carried around on the backs of their family members for up to 14 weeks. Because of this, you can expect to see these little ones cozied up with Mom and Dad if you see them at the park! Disney has shared that it’s too soon to tell if the twins are male or female, so as of now, they haven’t been named. When they’re fully grown, they’ll still weight in at less than a pound — about the size of a squirrel!
Cotton-top Tamarins Considered a Critically Endangered Species
Photo Courtesy of Disney
Cotton-top tamarins are native to Colombia, where they can typically be found in the tropical forest of the northwest region of the country. They live high up in the treetops, foraging through the canopy for fruits and instincts. Unfortunately, the species is critically endangered, due in large part to the illegal pet trade as well as extensive deforestation and loss of habitat.
The birth of the new cotton-top tamarin twins is due to Disney’s work with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan, which helps to “ensure the responsible breeding of threatened species in managed care and help create healthy and genetically diverse populations of animals for years to come.”
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