A group of Squirrel Monkeys new to Australia’s Taronga Zoo has already produced two energetic youngsters.  The troop leaps and climbs in the treetops of the zoo’s Amazonia exhibit. 

Photo Credit: Taronga Zoo 

Eleven females recently joined Taronga’s male, Chico, in the exhibit.  Eight weeks ago, two of the females gave birth to single babies. Taronga Zoo is part of the joint Australasian breeding program for Bolivian Squirrel Monkeys.

Over the next few months, the baby Squirrel Monkeys will cling to their mothers like tiny, furry backpacks until they are ready to start exploring on their own.

Squirrel Monkeys engage in alloparenting, in which other females assist the new mothers by carrying and grooming the infants. They are native to South America, where their rain forest habitat is threatened by illegal logging.

See more photos of the baby Squirrel Monkeys below.