SALISBURY -- On Sunday, Jan. 20, the Salisbury Zoo’s Titi monkey pair gave birth to their first baby. At this point, the sex of the baby is not known.

The mother has had experience in raising offspring while the male who is 3 years old has never produced until now. The father has had experience with a family group of Titis, which has given him the tools to be a good father, zoo officials report. The baby is being well taken care of by mom and dad.

Titi monkeys are from South America in the Amazon basin. They have a thick coat of fur, with long, fine wavy hairs that range in color from reddish-gray to dark brown to black. They weigh one to two pounds. Along with all four feet, they have a long, hairy, non-prehensile tail that they use for balance through the branches of dense vegetation. Titis eat mainly unripe fruits which are supplemented by leaves and shoots. They stay mainly in the canopy, foraging and sleeping. At night, they sleep together in a thicket of vines, with their tales entwined, a habit unique to this species.

The birth of this baby Titi is significant as there are now only 50 Titi monkeys in institutions in the United States.