De Brazza Monkey Born at Oregon Zoo

Zookeepers at the Oregon zoo welcomed a new baby monkey born to 22-year-old Brooke and 12-year-old Gus over the weekend. The newborn De Brazza's monkey, whose gender is yet to be known, was spotted on Sunday.

The De Brazza's monkey is an Old World monkey that lives along the rivers in the forest habitats in Central Africa. They are basically herbivores. They are locally known as swamp monkeys. In the wild, the females stay with their mothers as long as they are alive, whereas the males leave once they are sexually mature at the age of 5 or 6. Not much is known about the life span of these monkeys.

"The baby is pretty much attached to Brooke's belly right now," curator Jennifer Davis, who oversees the zoo's primate area, was quoted as saying in KPTV. "But in a few weeks, we'll probably see him or her venturing out a little more."

According to the zoo officials, the baby is healthy and attentive. Visitors can get a glimpse of the happy family at the zoo's Africa Savanna section.

Reports according to KPTV states that the newborn is covered in light brownish fur and has to still develop the colorings of an adult De Brazza's monkey, including the grayish torso, black limbs, tail, white goatee, and the reddish fur that forms the crown on their forehead.

These monkeys get their name from the Italian explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza. They face threat from habitat destruction, cultivation, animal trade and range fragmentation.