13 Jan 2011

Tiny monkeys to make debut at Auckland Zoo

6:10 pm on 13 January 2011

Two of the smallest monkeys in the world are about to make their debut at Auckland Zoo.

The pygmy marmosets, a male and female which the zoo hopes to breed, came from Britain and Australia.

Native to Brazil and small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, the marmosets will go on display in a specially designed enclosure.

The zoo says when curled up, the animals are about the size of a tennis ball, and in the wild will usually climb into small cracks and crevices in trees to eat the gum.

It describes the tiny creatures as being bird-like and they will need their food to be cut up into very small pieces.

The pygmy marmosets were put into their enclosure on Thursday morning and will be given a couple of days to settle into their new home before the public sees them on Saturday.