IT’S TWINS! – ALABAMA GULF COAST ZOO WELCOMES BIRTH OF ENDANGERED COTTON-TOP TAMARINS

Posted On: May 02nd, 2024

  

The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo is proud to announce the recent birth of twin endangered cotton-top tamarins. Born on April 6, 2024, both cotton-top tamarins are thriving and doing well with their family.

Cotton-top tamarins share parental care, with infants being carried on the backs of all their family caregivers and given to mom for nursing. Parents Tonka and Atari, as well as their older offspring, Spyro, Crash and Bandicoot have been doing a great job of caring for the new twins.

The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo needs the community to help name these two new additions. In keeping with their family’s theme, keepers have narrowed down the voting options to Bowser and Yoshi, Tidus and Yuna, or Sora and Riku.

You can vote for your favorite names on the Zoo’s social media pages @AlabamaGulfCoastZoo. The twin’s new names will be revealed on Mother’s Day, May 12.

The animal care team reported that one twin is already being adventurous and exploring on its own, while the other is taking things a bit slower. The gender of the twins will not be known until after they are weaned from their mother.

Cotton-top tamarins are listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. They are found only in the northern region of Colombia in tropical dry forests. Their status was initially determined due to their export to be used for biomedical research. Today the greatest threat to their survival is deforestation of their habitat for agriculture, mining, logging, and urban expansion, as well as the illegal pet trade.

The cotton-top tamarin twins can be seen in their exhibit with their family daily from 9 am – 4 pm when you visit the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo. 
 

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