Brevard Zoo Welcomes Pair of Bolivian Gray Titi Monkeys ‘Cooper’ and ‘Bellini’

Bellini and Cooper come to the Brevard Zoo from the Philadelphia Zoo

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Take a walk in Brevard Zoo’s Rainforest Revealed loop, and you may catch two new primates entwining tails. A father and son pair of Bolivian gray titi monkeys are now calling this area home.

Eighteen-year-old Bellini and his 6-year-old son, Cooper, have already been spotted weaving their tails together like a braid while sitting next to each other, a natural behavior for this species. Their tails are about 15 to 18 inches long—longer than the average titi monkey!

The tails are not prehensile, meaning they’re not able to grasp like our black-handed spider monkeys’ tails, which act like extra appendages to help them maneuver through the canopies.

Bellini and Cooper are now in the habitat across from the cotton-top tamarins, which previously housed Lorenzo the sloth. Lorenzo now lives with Gemma the yellow-naped Amazon next to our squirrel monkey duo.

Bellini and Cooper come to the Brevard Zoo from the Philadelphia Zoo as a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP) for their species. Another Bolivian gray titi monkey was recommended to join the Philadelphia Zoo’s troop, making it necessary to find a new home for the father and son.

SSPs manage the populations of animals within AZA-accredited zoos to ensure healthy, genetically diverse populations.

This species is native to the rainforests in Bolivia and Brazil. In addition to their long tail, titi monkeys have thick fur coats over their bodies and white tufts around their ears.

Titi monkeys enjoy eating yams, carrots, apples, bananas, green beans, a variety of mixed greens, insects, eggs and nuts.

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