A rare Sulawesi crested macaque has been born at Chester Zoo.
The baby was born to mum Camilla on Sunday, May 29, and joins the European breeding programme for the critically endangered species of monkey.
The species is highly threatened with extinction in the wild, with fewer than 5,000 estimated to remain on its native island of Sulawesi due to large scale habitat loss and illegal poaching.
The zoo’s new arrival increases the number of Sulawesi crested macaques living in its new Islands habitat to 16.
Sulawesi crested macaque facts
1. Sulawesi crested macaques are listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered with extinction in the wild.
2. They are the most endangered of the seven macaque species that live in rainforests on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia.
3. There are thought to be fewer than 5000 macaques left on their native land, 2000 of which live in the tropical rainforest in north Sulawesi. This is a particularly important region for conservation.
4. They are largely vegetarian but will occasionally feed on insects and small mammals such as mice.
5. Individuals maintain relationships by grooming one another and communicating with grunts. They smack their lips as a greeting sign adult males tend to ‘yawn’ - not a sign of tiredness to display their impressive large teeth in order to assert dominance and avoid conflict.