Taipei Zoo

The Cotton-top Tamarin couple in the Pangolin Dome of Taipei Zoo’s Tropical Rainforest Area became proud new parents just before the Lunar New Year. The cute twins have now grown up after more than a month of hard work. While human babies sit up at seven months and start crawling at eight months, the month-old Cotton-top Tamarin babies are now learning how to climb the platforms and vines!
Adult Cotton-top Tamarins weigh between 250g to 350g and range from 20cm to 25cm in size. When the twin babies were first born, their father or mother could easily carry two of them around at once. Now that the twins are a month-old, carrying both at once has become a little too much. Their parents now leave the twins in the nesting box most of the time while they relax nearby.  The babies are still a little clumsy but their parents deliberately wait on a platform near the nesting box to train their short-range climbing skills. They encourage the twins to climb over to them before carrying them on their backs to the food bowls to eat.
For Cotton-top Tamarins living in tropical rainforests, climbing, jumping, or moving quickly along the branches are essential skills for surviving in the wild.  The Pangolin Dome of Taipei Zoo’s Tropical Rainforest simulates the environment of their natural environment and so still represents a challenge to Cotton-top Tamarins. At first, the babies were afraid of climbing out of their nesting box and were cautious. After a few days of practice, the keepers even observed the twins getting from the nesting box to the food bowl to eat all by themselves!
The baby Cotton-Top Tamarins began exploring their surroundings once they were a month-old. They’ve been working to master their climbing skills under the watchful eyes of their parents near the nesting box. Visitors that come to see the climbing skills of the Cotton-top Tamarin twins should remember to speak softly and maintain a safe distance. The twins can then feel safe in their environment and feel free to explore.