Early in the morning on September 19, Daphne the pied tamarin gave birth to two healthy offspring at Chattanooga Zoo.
Pied tamarins, weighing around one pound and growing to roughly one foot long, are part of the Callitrichidae family which includes many of the world’s smallest primates like marmosets and other tamarins.
Pied tamarins are listed on the IUCN Red List as critically endangered. They can only be found in a small area of Brazilian Rainforest, giving them one of the smallest ranges of any primate species.
Pied tamarins are endangered due to habitat destruction and degradation as the port city of Manaus continually expands. Due to rapid deforestation and urban expansion, and other threats like the exotic pet trade, pied tamarins could go extinct in a matter of decades.
“Wildlife conservation is at the core of Chattanooga Zoo,” said Lacey Hickle, general curator. “We are working hard to help in the fight to save pied tamarins from extinction, and we are proud of our successes with this species.”
Chattanooga Zoo first housed pied tamarins in 2009 with the arrival of Sammy and Diddler. Although Diddler became pregnant multiple times, her pregnancies resulted in stillbirths. In 2016, Sammy was matched with a new female, Zafra, who successfully gave birth to Dudley and Dobby. Then, in 2021, Dudley was matched with Daphne who had Crash and Eddy - two males. Now, Daphne and Dudley have successfully reproduced again.
Since opening La Selva Amazonica, which houses all of the Zoo’s tamarin and marmoset species, other pied tamarins like Sid, Fitz, Kiedis and Vedder have lived at Chattanooga Zoo. Currently, Carly and Belen are another breeding pair at Chattanooga Zoo, and Zoo officials are hopeful to produce more babies in the coming months.
“Pied tamarins are notoriously difficult to breed, and not many zoos in the United States even have them,” said Hickle. “Currently, we are one of six zoos in the country with pied tamarins, giving us around 25% of the U.S. pied tamarin population.”
Pied tamarins have a median life expectancy of 10 years, but they often live longer in human care. Pied tamarins are known to be very communicative, utilizing a variety of vocalizations and bodily gestures to convey information to others. They are also omnivorous, playing an important role in their ecosystem by eating pests and spreading seeds.
At Chattanooga Zoo, the pied tamarins can be seen in the Corcovado Jungle section. The newborns can often be observed riding on the backs of Daphne, Dudley, Crash and Eddy. Later this year, Chattanooga Zoo veterinary staff will briefly retrieve the newborns to perform routine health checks and determine the tamarins’ genders.
Chattanooga Zoo is asking for the public’s help to name the baby tamarins. Zoo staff members have narrowed down potential names to three pairs:
- Appa & Momo
- Apple & Cherry
- Merry & Pippin
Chattanooga Zoo is collecting votes online here and through donations at the pied tamarin enclosure. The names with the most votes will be announced on November 12, 2024, through the Chattanooga Zoo’s social media pages.
To support the conservation of pied tamarins and many other endangered species, visit Chattanooga Zoo, explore membership options and consider making a donation online. Additionally, proceeds from Wild Encounters with cotton-top tamarins (another member of the Callitrichidae family) and other fascinating species helps support wildlife conservation.
Visit chattzoo.org for more information.