Squirrel monkey Parker is both the youngest member of the troop and the only male. He will turn 2 in October, and will be fully mature in another six months to a year.

“As Parker matures, it changes the dynamic of the group,” Zelazo-Kessler said. “It’s fascinating to watch how he’s becoming bolder and how his relationship with the girls is changing.”

Squirrel monkeys are one of the smallest primates in the world, measuring about 12.5 inches in body length, with about 16 inches of tail. Unlike many monkey species, squirrel monkeys use their hands to travel through the trees, relying on their tail for balance.

“It’s really great to bring a treetop level animal into the South America loop at the Zoo,” Zelazo-Kessler said. “We have Andean bears, jaguars, capybaras, and South American birds, but we haven’t had a canopy-dwelling species from the area in some time. They bring a different aspect of South America to the Zoo.”