Surprise new arrival creates monkey magic
A baby pygmy marmoset monkey that weighs less than an AA battery is the newest arrival at Nelson’s Natureland.
Natureland senior keeper Cameron Hawken said the staff discovered that pygmy marmoset Inti was pregnant in mid-2018, and expected the baby to arrive any time after December 24.
Keepers had been checking the pair throughout the Christmas period, Hawken said.
‘‘One day we came in and there was a little hand reaching around dad.’’
Peru and Inti are the proud parents of the baby, which arrived on Wednesday.
Hawken said Inti was a first-time mum, and the first 48 hours for a newborn were often touch and go.
The tiny baby monkey, whose weight is estimated at between 16 to 20 grams, could be difficult to spot while clinging to one of its parents. Its sex is not known, and will remain a mystery until it is a bit older and keepers can get closer to it.
The new parents share caring duties for the baby monkey throughout the day, with Peru often carrying their tiny offspring around, before giving it back to Inti when it wants to feed.
Pygmy marmosets are the smallest monkeys in the world. They can jump up to five metres, and their diet consists of tree gum, sap and insects. They have special teeth that enable them to bore holes in trees.
Adult pygmy marmosets weigh about 120g and are naturally found throughout the Amazon River basin in Peru and Colombia.