Banham Zoo’s tiny new white-bellied pygmy marmoset weighs less than a Freddo frog
A white-bellied pygmy marmoset, weighing just 15 grams, has been born at Banham Zoo. It is pictured here with its mother. Picture: Courtesy of Banham Zoo - Credit: Archant
A tiny new addition has been welcomed into the world at Banham Zoo.
A white-bellied pygmy marmoset - the world's smallest breed of primate, has been born at the south Norfolk site.
The new arrival weighs just 15 grams, 3 grams less than a Cadbury Freddo frog.
It is first successful breeding at the zoo from the pygmy marmoset pair Spongebob and Mojo, although the zoo has a good record of breeding pygmy marmosets and other related species of marmoset and tamarin, some of which are highly endangered in the wild.
Keepers have been keeping a close eye on the parents and their new offspring but it is still too soon for staff to be able to determine the sex of the new arrival.
Pygmy marmosets come from South America - specifically Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia - and are found in the canopies of tropical moist lowland and montane forest.
Although not endangered in the wild now, many other species of marmoset and tamarin are highly endangered and this species as well as others at the zoo help raise awareness for their more endangered relatives.
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