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Zoo Miami is happy to announce the birth of a White-Faced Saki monkey that occurred on Wednesday, September 27th! Since the birth, mom and baby have remained isolated in a secluded holding area to ensure that they were able to properly bond without any disturbance. During the past week, the newborn has been observed nursing and appears to be in good health.
Mom and baby were recently given access to their habitat as part of a careful introduction back to a normal routine. The mother, named, “Alejandra,” is 13 years old and was born at the Oregon Zoo. She is very protective of her infant which makes it difficult to get a clear view of it as it is cradled on her chest covered in a thick coat of hair. The sex of the baby has not yet been confirmed. The father’s name is “Macky” and he is also 13 years old and was born at the Ellen Trout Zoo in Texas.
White-Faced Saki monkeys are arboreal and found in the tropical forests of Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil and Suriname. They are known for their ability to jump up to 30 feet between trees as they traverse the forest canopy where they feed mostly on fruits, seeds, nuts and invertebrates. Distinguished by their thick fur and bushy tails, adults grow to between 3 and 4 pounds. Adult males generally are a bit larger than the females and are distinguished by their black hair and white face as opposed to the females which are general brown to gray color without the white face. Their main predators are large birds of prey, jaguars, ocelots and large constrictor snakes. Their biggest threats are habitat loss and capture for the pet trade though their population in the wild is presently considered to be stable.
Moving forward, mother and baby will be out intermittently in their habitat at the Flooded Forest Building at the zoo’s Amazon and Beyond Exhibit as the infant gets comfortable with its new surroundings.
