Brookfield Zoo welcomes newborn squirrel monkey

Amid the humid mist and roaring waterfalls inside Brookfield Zoo’s Tropic World habitat, a new, tiny resident clung tightly to its mother, and made an exclusive Sun-Times debut.

It was a newborn squirrel monkey, born July 30 to mother Gizmo and father Sandy. While the infant does not have a name yet and its gender remains unidentified, it is already thriving, spending its first days riding securely on its mother’s chest and back as she navigates the habitat.

Guests will have a chance to see the newborn squirrel monkey and the rest of the primates inside the Tropic World exhibit daily during regular park hours.

The birth marks a milestone for the monkey troop and for Kim Skelton, director of primate care and conservation at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. Skelton brings 25 years of primate care experience from the Denver Zoo to the Brookfield team.

“Gizmo has had lots of babies before,” said Skelton, but “this is Sandy, the father’s, first infant. Him and Gizmo created this perfect little infant that’s pretty adorable.”

The newborn enters an active group of six squirrel monkeys, including aunts and older sibling Slim, who was born in a previous litter and is currently learning maternal behaviors by watching Gizmo. Skelton said that mother primates tend to serve as living models for their other offspring when it comes to motherhood. Allowing young females like Slim to observe daily interactions and practice key maternal behavior.

The troop of monkeys share their habitat with other animals, including capuchins, spider monkeys, and a giant anteater. The troop manages its own social structure smoothly, with Skelton noting that squirrel monkeys naturally stick to the mid-level branches while anteaters remain on the ground. The group also occasionally interacts with neighboring spider monkeys.

For now, the newborn will remain dependent on mom.

“That’s at least a few months before they start experimenting and getting off mom,” Skelton said. “It’ll be a while before they actually go off and explore on their own.”

As the infant grows, the primate care specialists will track key milestones, watching as the infant starts eating solid foods and engaging in social interactions without its mother nearby.

Another key milestone the Brookfield team will look for is when the infant starts using its long tail for balance. Unlike many South American primates with prehensile tails used for grasping, a squirrel monkey’s tail is longer than its body and functions more like a cat’s tail to help as they leap through trees.

“All of our births, whether it’s a squirrel monkey, a gorilla, or a giraffe feed into our Species Survival Programs or captive management breeding programs that support not just populations within zoos, but potentially wild populations as well,” Skelton said.

That Species Survival Programs is managed through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. These breeding initiatives maintain genetically diverse populations across accredited institutions, tracking lineages to safeguard species and support potential wild reintroductions.

“Every birth matters,” Skelton said, “and we’re just pumped to have another little one popping around.”

Source: Chicago Sun-Times