• The newborn belongs to a species classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN and protected under CITES

Terra Natura Benidorm is celebrating the birth of a new Goeldi’s marmoset (Callimico goeldii), a primate species native to the rainforests of Brazil and Bolivia and currently listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This marks the second successful breeding of this species at the park, following the birth of Boni in June 2024.

The newborn is the offspring of Tuta and Jerez, a breeding pair that arrived at Terra Natura Benidorm in June 2023 from Gothenburg Zoo (Sweden) and the Zoobotánico de Jerez, respectively. The young marmoset currently lives alongside its parents and its older sibling, Boni, forming a stable family group that is displaying appropriate and protective behaviour towards the infant.

The team of zookeepers and veterinarians is maintaining continuous monitoring through careful observation, ensuring that both the mother and the newborn are in good health and exhibiting normal behaviour. At this stage, no direct physical examination has been carried out in order to avoid interfering with the rearing process and to minimise the risk of parental rejection.

Once the infant begins to move away from the adults, zoo keepers and veterinary teams will be able to carry out the first full health check-up and determine its sex. From around three months of age, the young marmoset will gradually start to gain independence from parental care, in line with the species’ natural development.

At birth, Goeldi’s marmoset infants typically weigh between 30 and 80 grams and measure just five centimetres in length. During the first two weeks of life, the mother carries the infant on her body to facilitate on-demand nursing. From the third week onwards, the father takes on the role of carrying the young, and by around the fourth week, both parents share this responsibility, strengthening the social bond within the group.

The older sibling, Boni, also plays a role in this learning process. As the infant grows, the parents will allow Boni to begin carrying it, a common behaviour in the species that is essential for young individuals to gain experience in infant care, a key factor in their future reproductive success.

Goeldi’s marmoset is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which strictly regulates its keeping and international trade to ensure its protection. Successful breeding in conservation centres is therefore particularly important to guarantee the viability of ex situ populations and to support conservation programmes for threatened primates.

This new birth strengthens Terra Natura Benidorm’s commitment to animal welfare and the conservation of vulnerable species, while also offering visitors a unique opportunity to observe the social and reproductive behaviour of this remarkable primate species in first hand.