Primates

Emperor Tamarin

Named after their resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II who wore a similar moustache. Neighbouring groups maintain their distance by making long whistling calls, so each is aware of the others position. Gestation is 4 ½ months, usually 2 young borne but triplets have been recorded. The breeding female expresses hormones that suppress breeding in younger females that would compete for resources and attention. While the breeding pair play the main role in rearing the young, as they grow the young are handed between all the adults in the group. Survival is directly linked to the investment of the group of carers. They can live up to 20 years.

Cotton-top Tamarin

They occur in a small rainforest area of Colombia and are listed as critically endangered and now one of the most endangered primates in the world with only two fragments of their original habitat left. A Colombian conservation group provides local farmers with seeds, tools, supplies, and training in agricultural practices, all in exchange for signing a conservation agreement that designates forest portions of their property as habitat for cotton-top tamarins. Often described as looking like a “man of war”, when they’re alarmed or excited, their large plume of white fur is raised to make themselves look bigger and more impressive. They have over thirty distinct calls to carry messages to the rest of the group. Their gestation is 5 ½ months, usually 2 young and they live up to 24 years in captivity. Their key natural predators are birds of prey, wild cats and snakes but forest habitat removal is their greatest threat.

Golden Lion Tamarin

Naturally they occur in the canopies of dense humid forests in Brazil where they drink much of their water from bromeliad plants in the canopy. These tamarins are territorial and defend their area with scent markings and high-pitched squeals. Aggression includes an open mouth, an arched back, and staring. Food includes fruits, nectar, and insects but any smaller animal may be potential food. They use their long, slender fingers and hands to probe into crevices, bark, and other hiding places for insects.

They live in groups of two to eight family members consisting of a breeding pair, offspring of one or two litters and other relatives. After a gestation of about four and a half months, the female usually gives birth to twins. They cling to their mother’s fur for the first few weeks, but all members of the group will carry and care for the infants. Grooming and huddling together forms an important social function with males responsible for 70% of the grooming interactions.

Critically endangered and down to 150 individuals in the wild in 1970, intensive conservation efforts have helped the population recover. Now classified endangered species, there are about 2,500 in the wild — about a third of which are descendants of animals released from the international zoological breeding programme.

The key concern is habitat loss with only 2% of their habitat remaining in Brazil. The selective removal of large trees reduces the available roosting hollows has left them exposed to predators. A human yellow fever outbreak in 2018 infected and reduced the tamarin population by 30% in places. Scientists introduced a successful vaccination programme in 2020.

Several new populations have been re-established using tamarins bred by zoos and animals moved from unprotected wild areas.  The survival rate of re-introduced animals has been encouraging, but destruction of unprotected habitat continues. Zoos globally continue to provide significant resources for the golden lion tamarin conservation programme. Our tamarins are part of the international breeding programme.

A non-for-profit has been established to help fund the conservation of the species.

Pygmy Marmoset

The smallest monkey in the world! Newborn are about the size of a human thumb only weighing 15g! They live in troops of around 6 individuals in the rainforest with each group living in and feeding off just a few trees. Tree sap is their favourite food and to access this, they make a hole in the bark with over 1000 holes in some of the trees they live in. Twins are usual and the father and older siblings carry the newborns piggyback style for their first two weeks, bringing them back to the mother to nurse. Despite their tiny size, they live up to 18 years. Predators include birds of prey, forest cats, snakes, humans. They can swizel their head backward to spot predators and have specific warning calls if predators are spotted.

Ring-tail Lemur

The name lemur comes from the Latin word lemurs meaning ghost, given due to their ghost like appearance, noiseless movements at night, reflective eyes, and ghostly cries. Ring-tailed Lemurs are endangered and inhabit forests along riverbanks and dry scrub areas in southern Madagascar. Naturally they occur in groups of up to 30, led by a dominant female. They are equally comfortable in the trees or on the ground. The diet consists of fruits, leaves flowers, herbs, bark, sap, insects, and small vertebrates. Ring-tailed lemurs communicate with vocalizations and scent marking, they are one of the most vocal primates with at least 15 different vocalizations including one call for aerial predators and another for terrestrial predators. Their range of communications includes “yip” purring, cackles, twittering and an explosive bark in aggression and if danger presents. When travelling they keep their tails raised in the air, like flags, to keep group members together. Young cling to the mothers back for up to six months and are cared for by the entire troop.

Black and White Ruffed Lemur

There are approximately 32 species of lemurs, all found only in Madagascar, a large island of the East Africa coast. Black and white ruffed lemurs are listed as critically endangered and are usually found in small groups of 2-5 individuals. The species eats primarily fruit and have adapted to hanging from branches to reach and feed on forest fruits. The world’s largest pollinators, they also love nectar and have a unique relationship with the Travellers Palm tree and are the main pollinator for this palm tree. Madagascar has lost 80% of its forests and lemurs play a vital role in distributing the seeds of forest tree fruit they have eaten. When alarmed, they produce a loud deep, barking call and when defending their territory, they emit a wailing howl. When calling ours can be heard calling across the entire zoo.

Spider Monkey

They reside in a range of different types of forests across Central America, including evergreen tropical forests, lowland tropical forests, dry successional deciduous forests, cloud forests, and mangrove forests. Spider monkeys get their name from the way their long legs and tails resemble a spider’s legs. Their Latin name “Atles” refers to the fact their thumbs are undeveloped. Long arms, a quarter longer than their legs, and perfect for gracefully navigating the upper canopy. Curled behind them is a long prehensile tail, perfect for suspended hanging, gripping branches above, and freeing up their limbs to snag food items that are out of arm’s reach. A thumb would only get in their way while zipping through the trees at 50 kph so mother nature is slowly getting rid of it. Spider monkeys love fruit so much it’s even changed their eyes! These monkeys evolved colour-vision to spot fruit among the leaves. Spider Monkeys typically live in large groups of between 16 and 60 members where male members are related to one another and females are from an external group.

Black-capped Capuchin

Also known as the Tufted Capuchin, the name ‘Capuchin’ derives from a group of friars who wore brown robes with large hoods on their heads. They naturally live in groups of 2–20 in the sub-canopy of tropical forests and while males often move between groups, the females remain constant in their groups. Extremely intelligent, they are great problem solvers and are well known for using tools such as rocks and sticks to aid in food gathering. Ours can often be seen knocking walnuts on hard surfaces to crack them. Occasionally we provide each of the troop with an onion which they frantically rub over their body to discourage external parasites. Capuchins also mark themselves by washing their hands in their own urine and rubbing their hands on their fur. Naturally they feed on a variety of fruits and plant matter but include insects and small mammals in their menu. Bird eggs and nestlings are a favourite. Vocalizations include contact calls, calls emitted at the end of aggressive encounters, alarm calls, whistles sounded while foraging, and shrieks emitted during sexual encounters. Facial expressions, gestures, and postures convey mood or intention. Grooming sessions are important in cultivating social bonds with one another. Playtime, besides being fun, teaches young capuchins social boundaries.