Twin trouble!
Friday 26 March 2004
Here at London Zoo we are celebrating the birth of twin Geoffroy's marmosets
The babies, as yet unsexed, were born two weeks ago in the Small Mammal House.
The twins are the latest in a notable run of marmoset births at London Zoo, past success stories have included; Goeldi's monkeys, golden headed lion tamarins and pygmy marmosets.
The new arrivals are blackish-brown in colour, their faces are ringed by white fur and, like most other marmosets, they have tufted ears. The babies are currently about 25 centimetres from their nose to the tip of their ringed tail!
Geoffroy's marmosets are completely monogamous, and when breeding they usually give birth to twins after a four and a half month gestation period.
These primates are most active in the daytime (diurnal) and can be seen climbing branches and foraging for food in their enclosure.
