Saki monkeys make babies at Oregon Zoo

After more than a year of “family leave,” the pale-faced saki monkeys are back on exhibit at the Oregon Zoo. Monkeys Jackie and Bam-Bam were removed from public view in April 2009 after Jackie gave birth to a male, named Marcelo. They spent a year bonding, and this past June another baby was born. This one hasn’t been named yet. The Oregonian reports that the sakis are now back in their Amazon Flooded Floor exhibit. Primate Keeper Renee Cressa says the newest addition is pretty tiny, especially since he’ll grow to only about 31/2 pounds, and still rides around on his mother’s back. According to the Oregon Zoo web site, the monkeys are indigenous to tropical rain forests of southern and eastern Venezuela, Guianas and northeastern Brazil. Their eyes, nose and mouth are surrounded by a thick layer of whitish fur, giving rise to the name of pale-faced monkeys. They are tree dwellers that swing among the branches in the middle layers of the tree canopy. They seldom go to the ground.