Meet Tito: An endangered baby monkey born at Scotland's theme park M&D's

It’s the first time the endangered species of monkey has been bred by the team at the Lanarkshire family attraction.

Lianne Horne from Bellshill came up with the winning name. Born in November to mum, Neeps and dad, Jeeza, Tito is thriving.

Emperor tamarins are small monkeys that are native to the Amazon Basin, inhabiting areas of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia, and are easily identified by their long, white whiskers that look like a moustache.

Zoologist Amanda Gott, Zoo Manager at Amazonia said, “We think Tito is a great name for the new family addition and he’s quite a character although he’s still too young to know if he’s male or female.

“It’s a fantastic achievement for the team, given that the species is endangered and a great opportunity for families to come and see.”

Located within M&D’s Strathclyde Theme Park, Amazonia is a temperature controlled tropical indoor forest and home to over 60 species. It offers a unique place for fun and learning where the whole family can marvel at monkeys, parrots, snakes, frogs, tarantulas and much more.

The Emperor Tamarin Monkey is named after an old German head of state, Wilhelm II, who sported a similar moustache to the teeny primate.

Unlike a lot of primates, male Emperor Tamarins often spend the most time with the child while the mother forages. In the wild they also practice polyandry - where the mother will take one or more male mates at a time, meaning in the wild oftentimes Emperor Tamarins will have more than one father.

Emperor tamarins populations have been in decline due to threats of deforestation and human encroachment.

Naturally the monkeys are very social creatures they love to play and are very quick, graceful and active - swinging around the canopy and having fun is one of their main means of social interaction - alongside mutual grooming.

Further information is available from https://scotlandsthemepark.com/attractions/amazonia/