Sussex zoo celebrates arrival of world’s smallest monkey

New arrival, Rosie, is an adult female pygmy marmoset weighing in at just 108 grams. She arrived at Drusillas Zoo Park on January 30 from Shepreth Wildlife Park to join resident male, Ben, with hopes of welcoming tiny infants in the future.

The zoo has not welcomed baby pygmy marmosets for over 10 years.

Zoo Animal Manager, Mark Kenward, said: “We have been hoping to welcome a female pygmy marmoset for some time, and are thrilled with how well Rosie is settling in. Within a day or two we observed the pair mutually grooming – a really positive sign of a successful pairing - and Rosie is following Ben everywhere he goes, it seems she has developed quite the crush on him.

“Pygmy marmosets are typically quite shy, but Rosie seems a little more confident in her nature and is very curious whenever the keepers are in the habitat, coming over to investigate what’s going on. It seems to have brought Ben out of his shell as well.”

Pygmy marmosets are the smallest true monkey, and one of the smallest primates in the world, native to the rainforests of South America. The species is classified as vulnerable on the ICUN Red List of threatened species, due to habitat loss and the exotic pet trade where they have become popularly known as ‘finger monkeys’, a trend which sees marmosets taken prematurely from their mothers and sold as accessories.