The Lake Superior Zoo is excited to announce the arrival of a new baby, a black-crested mangabey. The new addition is named Táami (pronouunced Tommy) who was born on May 15 2021 to proud parents Kiwi and Videll. He is doing very well and should start exploring his new home more and more each week!

This type of primate is found in Africa in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their natural habitat is lowland rainforests and their diet consists of fruit, leaves, nuts and insects. Their diet at the zoo consists of romaine lettuce, yams, mangos and more special treats made especially for them. These primates live in troops and the young ones stay with their mothers until a new baby is born.

Some cool facts about mangabeys is they actually have a webbing in between their toes which allows them to swim. They also have a call that is known as a whoop-gobble which is how they communicate with each other over far distances while in the rainforest. Also there are only 28 black crested mangabeys in the United states and four of them reside at the Lake Superior Zoo!

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Zoo's all across the world are working hard to preserve many species and when you have them reproduce in captivity like this it is a huge plus towards keeping these animals from going extinct. Black-crested mangabeys are listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union of Conservation's, and they are also part of the Species Survival plan program which attempts to ensure the survival of certain animals who are threatened and endangered.  The Lake Superior Zoo has 30 animals that are a part of this program! This is what makes the birth of baby Táami even more crucial!

Make plans today to stop by the Lake Superior Zoo with friends and family and help welcome this adorable new addition to the zoo. The zoo is now open during it's regular hours and now that summer is here it is a great time to explore all the zoo has to offer both inside and out.

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