ZSL London Zoo Welcomes Adorable Minuscule Monkey [VIDEO]

The staff at the London Zoo was delighted to announce the arrival of a squirrel monkey baby, born earlier this month.

The black-capped squirrel monkey baby is the latest addition to the ZSL London Zoo. The little monkey baby was seen clinging onto its mother for hours after its birth. Just six inches tall, the monkey was born at the Zoo's Meet the Monkey's exhibit after a six-month gestation period. The exhibit has no barriers that keep visitors away from the playful newbie.

Zookeeper Andrea Dempsey said, "Squirrel monkeys have an approximate gestation period of five to six months, and we'd been closely monitoring mum throughout her pregnancy - we knew she was due to give birth as her bump was huge! Squirrel monkeys live in large troops, which we've replicated here at ZSL London Zoo and including our new arrival, we've now got a group of 20 who are all enjoying fussing over the baby."

Since the tiny infant has been clinging to its mother's back, the staffers have not yet been able to detect the sex of the infant. But, the mother and child are apparently doing good, snoozing together under the sun.

Last year in December, the zoo members were thrilled to announce the birth of a male monkey, who was named Eubie. The male monkey was born as part of the European breeding program for species. The zoo is looking forward to the birth of two more babies who are due any day.

The black-capped squirrel monkey is also known as the Bolivian Squirrel monkey and is a New World Monkey in the Cebidae family. It is mainly found in the rainforests of central South America and is commonly found in medium-density growth areas. The diet of this omnivorous primate mainly includes fruits and gum. They also feed on frogs, spiders, bird eggs and other small insects and animals. Their breeding season is limited to 3 months in a year.

These primates are threatened in their native South American homes of Bolivia, Peru and Brazil, as they are hunted for pet trade and food.