Meet Tira and Misu

June 21, 2010

The Geoffrey’s tamarin family has grown! Cannoli and her mate, Napoleon, have a new pair of twins, and thanks to your submissions, now they’ve got names! You can visit Tira and Misu in the Animal Lifestyles building.

The Geoffrey’s tamarin family has grown! Cannoli and her mate, Napoleon, have a new pair of twins—gender still unknown—and thanks to your submissions, now they’ve got names! By popular demand, out of a total of 169 votes, the twins will be known as Tira and Misu.

“In keeping with the delectable names of the parents, we selected a pair of names that are reasonably gender neutral and certainly as sweet as these twin monkeys,” said Prospect Park Zoo Director Denise McClean.

Tira and Misu were born April 5, and have started to hop around the branches of their leafy home on their own. When they’re not busy exploring or playing with their siblings, Bonbon and Paulie, the twins can usually be found napping on dad’s back.

Geoffrey’s tamarins are native to South America and live in groups that can have as many as 20 members. All troop members help care for the young. Like other tamarins, Geoffrey’s tamarins are arboreal, so they depend upon healthy forests for food and survival.

You can visit Tira, Misu, and family inside Animal Lifestyles.