A newborn rare golden monkey, which is just four inches long from head to tail, has been caught on camera by a photographer.
The tiny golden lion tamarin was pictured snuggling into its mom and even seeming to laugh, having been born just two weeks ago.
The ten-centimeter-tall monkey is an essential element of a conservation effort at Bristol Zoo, which aims to protect the species – with only 3,000 remaining in the wild.
“The adorable but endangered baby golden lion tamarin was riding on its parents’ backs outside,” the photographer said.
“It was awake and calling with quite a high-pitched squeak. “It was gaining a lot of attention from the rest of the family.”
“I was astonished at how tiny the newborn was.”
According to researchers, there are around 3,200 left in Brazil, where they are endangered due to humans damaging their Atlantic rainforest habitat.
According to zoo officials, it will be six months before keepers undertake a health check to see whether the calf is male or female.
The tiny kid will stay near its mom Missy and father Dourado for the next few months.
“We will be able to determine the kid’s weight in the following few months if the youngster is brave and goes off on its own,” Shani Ratnayake, senior keeper of large species, remarked.
Shani added, “Apart from nursing at home, it spends the majority of its time with Dad, so he has to do all of the carryings.
“It’s normal for tamarin dads to take an active part in looking after youngsters, but Dourado is doing a lot more than usual.”
