ZSL London Zoo is welcoming the pitter patter of furry paws, after the birth of a tiny black-tailed marmoset, a rare species of monkey.

The baby’s parents, Victoria and Albert, have proudly shown off their royal bundle of joy to crowds of captivated visitors in the Clore Rainforest exhibit. Just a few weeks old, the animal measures 12cm long and is the first of its kind to be born at the zoo.

Native to South America, marmosets munch on insects and chew on tree branches and plants in the wild – and within two months our little one should be doing the same. Belonging to a family known as New World Monkeys, marmosets feature curved claws, which help them jump horizontally from tree to tree. The happy family has so far been left alone by keepers, so we are yet to find out if the baby is a prince or a princess!

Team Leader, Gerald Asher, said: “We are delighted to welcome the new addition because there has never been a black-tailed silvery marmoset born at ZSL London Zoo before. The baby has settled in very well and is already popular with the public. We have a hands-off policy with these types of baby animals, so our only direct involvement so far is to feed the adults water.”

Take a look at the baby when it is just 2 weeks old in our video below.

For a sneaky peak at how this little monkey is growing up take a look at our second video with the baby at 4 weeks old and growing up fast!