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Press Releases
Minnesota Zoo Celebrates Another Snow Monkey Birth
Apple Valley, MINN – June 16, 2011 – The Minnesota Zoo is celebrating the birth of another snow monkey. The infant, born on June 13, is already a top attraction and is visible to the public every other day. The gender of the monkey is not yet known, but he/she has been named "Negai" (pronounced nay-gay-ee). The name means "hope" in Japanese. The newborn weighed in at approximately one pound at birth, but with time and a steady diet, it should join the rest of its companions in the 20-30 pound range. It is part of a very special group of primates that is especially social. Also called Japanese macaques, snow monkeys – considered a threatened species by the US Fish and Wildlife Service – are medium-sized primates recognizable by their reddish-colored faces, whiskers/beards, and long, dense gray fur. They originate from Japan, including the Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Takeshima Islands. Snow monkeys live in troops ranging from 25-500 individuals, and spend their days both in trees and on the ground. They have a complex system of communication including more than 30 vocal sounds and a wide range of facial and body expressions. They eat fruit, roots, leaves, insects, and crops such as rice, maize and potatoes. After a gestation period of 170-180 days, snow monkeys give birth–almost always to a single infant–between April and July. Although infants are a great source of interest to other females in the group, mothers do not allow other monkeys to pick up their infants for several weeks after birth. Research has revealed that this species has highly complex social structures and excellent learning abilities. Individuals have been known to participate in interesting behavior patterns, like washing the dirt off sweet potatoes, which are learned in time by other members of the troop. The Minnesota Zoo is located in Apple Valley, just minutes south of Mall of America. For more information, call 952.431.9500 or visit mnzoo.org. The Minnesota Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and an institutional member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
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