Announced Monday, two baby cotton-top tamarins were born in April at the Lincoln’s Children’s Zoo.
The two non-identical twins were born on April 14, to mom, Challa, and dad, Emison. Both parents will be taking turns carrying the infants. The babies will be on and off their parents for about six months. Challa and Emison are also parents to Doug, a one-year-old female cotton-top tamarin.
“The birth of these cotton-top tamarin twins is incredibly important for animal conservation efforts as we see the population of this critically endangered species continue to decrease,” said Evan Killeen, Lincoln Children’s Zoo CEO.
It’s too early to determine the sex of the two babies, that will be revealed later, and names will be chosen at that time.
Cotton-top tamarins are a critically endangered species, meaning they face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. The cotton-top tamarin population continues to decrease, with only about 6,000 individuals left in the wild.
Guests can visit the twins and the rest of the cotton-top tamarin troop in the Animal Kingdom Building. Photos and a video of the new born tamarins (Courtesy of Lincoln Children’s Zoo) can be seen below
