Chester Zoo welcomes cotton-top tamarin twins

Chester Zoo has some cute new baby animals

Chester Zoo has welcomed an adorable pair of twin monkeys.

The animals are cotton-top tamarins, which are currently classed as a critically endangered species.

The zoo’s new duo arrived to their parents Leo and Treat following a five-month pregnancy.

Their birth is big news as it's an important boost to international efforts to protect the rare species of monkey from extinction.

The tamarin twins weighed just 40g at birth and measured only 10cm from their heads to the tips of their tails.

“It’s wonderful to see two tiny babies clinging to mum Treat and dad Leo as they leap from tree to tree. When cotton-top tamarins are born they look just like adults, except they’re even teenier – around the size of golf balls!" said Mike Jordan who is an animal and plant director at Chester Zoo.

“Mum and dad have been sharing parental duties and as a result the little ones are both thriving.

"It’s still early days, so the babies are too tiny for us to confidently determine if each of them is male or female but, in a few months’ time, we’ll know for sure when they grow in confidence and start to branch out and explore the treetops on their own."

Why are there concerns about cotton-top tamarins?

Cotton-top tamarins are a critically endangered species

Cotton-top tamarins get their name from the fluffy mane of white fur that starts at their forehead and runs over their shoulders, resembling a cotton ball.

However, their striking appearance has impacted their numbers as they're often captured for the illegal wildlife trade to be sold as pets.

The fall in numbers has also been impacted by changes to the environment they live in.

The monkeys are native to a small area in northern Colombia where only 5% of their original habitat remains intact due to mass logging.

This is when trees are cut down and processed to make timber and pulp, and this can then be used to produce things such as loo roll, furniture, paper and other products.

Conservationists have been working to boost cotton-top tamarin numbers

The species is currently listed as critically endangered on the International Union of Conservation and Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of the world’s most threatened species.

It’s estimated that just 2,000 remain in the wild, making them one of the rarest primate species on Earth.

Conservationists across Europe are working to prevent the species from disappearing altogether.

Mike Jordan who works at the zoo said: “The arrival of twin cotton-top tamarins is a really important for the species. They’re exceptionally rare as more than 80% of their wild population has been wiped out in the last two decades alone.

"This severe reduction in their population has meant that our conservation breeding programme, co-ordinated with other major international zoos, is providing an increasingly vital lifeline for the species, as we look to establish a thriving population for the future.”