Chessington World of Adventures Zoo is celebrating the arrival of two rare twin Spider Monkeys this festive season.
On 13 November, twins, one boy and one girl, festively named Brussel and Sprout were born.
The pair are the 4th Columbian Spider Monkey twins to have been born in Europe.
A third Spider Monkey named Cranberry was also born, meaning there are now 15 of the critically endangered species in the Amazu area of the zoo.
Sam Whitbread, Zoo Collections Manager at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, said: “It’s been hugely exciting for the entire Zoo team as we welcome our rare new arrivals to Chessington!
“We’re monitoring their well-being and development extremely closely, and so far, we’re very happy with the progress the babies have made.”
The twins mother is called Kryah ,10, and their father is called Mariecello ,12.
All three new born Spider Monkeys are doing well and the species normally live for 24 years.
Spider Monkeys often live in groups of between 15 and 30 and are known to be a noisy and chatty species.
Unusually when Spider Monkeys feel threatened, they are known to make a barking noise similar to a dogs bark.
The Spider Monkeys in the Kingston Upon Thames zoo are part of the Columbian subspecies found in Columbia and Panama.
The species are considered to be critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
