Have a closer look at Tierpark Berlin’s golden-bellied capuchins. There's always something going on in the primate family of mum Obi and dad Jacko – and that's no wonder with six siblings. The youngest of the bunch is just one month old. Still protected on mom's back, the little one is getting more and more curious and observes the hustle and bustle.

(c) Tierpark Berlin

An infant has been born in the group of yellow-breasted capuchin monkeys at Amersfoort Zoo in The Netherlands. “If you look closely, you can see a small monkey sitting on the mother's neck,” says animal caretaker Marianne Spies. “The young are doing well and are already looking around curiously to discover the world.”

These adorable twin Capuchin Monkeys are almost guaranteed to make you smile, and could, quite possibly, help you make it through the mid-week blues.

As evidenced by this great series of photos, their tiny, expressive faces also make them excellent practice for any photographer.

The rare twins were born at Zoo Berlin, and excited keepers say they are “developing magnificently”.

Photo Credits: Zoo Berlin

The Capuchin Monkey is considered a “New World monkey” of the subfamily Cebinae. They are readily identified as the "organ-grinder" monkey, and have been used in several movies and television shows.

The native range of Capuchin Monkeys includes Central America and South America, as far south as northern Argentina. In Central America, they prefer to occupy wet lowland forests, notably on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and Panama, and deciduous dry forest on the Pacific coast.

Capuchins are known to be black, brown, buff or whitish, but their exact color depends on the species. They generally reach a max length of 30 to 56 cm (12 to 22 in), with tails that are just as long as the body.

Capuchins are diurnal and arboreal. They spend the majority of their day searching for food, with the exception of a midday nap.

They are omnivores and feed on a vast range of food types, including: plant parts (such as leaves, flower and fruit), seeds, pith, woody tissue, sugarcane, bulb, and exudates, as well as arthropods, mollusks, a variety of vertebrates, and even primates.

Capuchin Monkeys often live in large groups of 10 to 35 individuals within the forest, although they can easily adapt to places colonized by humans. Usually, a single male will dominate the group and have primary rights to mate with the females of their group. They are territorial and distinctly mark their territory with urine. Group dynamics are maintained and served through mutual grooming, and communication occurs through various calls.

Females typically produce offspring every two years, following a 160- to 180-day gestation. The newborns cling to their mother's chest and continue to do so until they are larger, when they move to her back. Adult male capuchins rarely take part in caring for the young. Juveniles are considered fully mature within four years for females and eight years for males. In captivity, individuals have been known to reach an age of 45 years, although life expectancy in the wild is only 15 to 25 years.

More adorable pics, below the fold!

The Golden-bellied Capuchin is highly threatened with extinction. Münster Zoo houses the largest breeding group in Germany and the second largest in Europe!

On August 6^th and 11^th, the Zoo welcomed two new infants to their troop. This is an encouraging breeding success because Golden-bellied Capuchin are considered, by some, to be the most intelligent monkeys in South America, and they are currently classified as “Critically Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

A mere 194 Golden-bellied Capuchin live in 21 facilities throughout Europe. The Münster Zoo is home to 16 of the monkeys, making it the largest breeding group of Germany. The Zoo’s Capuchin troop is the second largest in Europe, behind La Vallée de Singes in France, which is home to 17 of the monkeys.

Photo Credits: Münster Zoo

The Golden-bellied Capuchin (Sapajus xanthosternos), also known as the Yellow-breasted or Buffy-headed Capuchin, is a species of New World monkey.

Although there are differences between individuals, as well as between the sexes and across age groups, S. xanthosternos is described as having a distinctive yellow to golden red chest, belly and upper arms. Its face is a light brown, and its cap, for which the capuchins were first named, is a dark brown/black or light brown.

Capuchins are diurnal and arboreal. With the exception of a midday nap, they spend their entire day searching for food. At night, they sleep in the trees, wedged between branches.

They feed on a vast range of food types and are more varied than other monkeys in the family Cebidae. They are omnivores, and consume a variety of plant parts such as leaves, flower and fruit, seeds, pith, woody tissue, sugarcane, bulb, and exudates, as well as arthropods, mollusks, a variety of vertebrates, and even primates.

Capuchin monkeys often live in large groups of 10 to 35 individuals within the forest, although they can easily adapt to places colonized by humans. Usually, a single male will dominate the group and have primary rights to mate with the females of their group. The stabilization of group dynamics is served through mutual grooming, and communication occurs between the monkeys through various calls.

Capuchins can jump up to nine feet (3 m), and they use this mode of transport to get from one tree to another. They remain hidden among forest vegetation for most of the day, sleeping on tree branches and descending to the ground to find drinking water.

Females generally bear young every two years, following a 160- to 180-day gestation. The young cling to their mother's chest until they are larger, when they move to her back. Adult male Capuchins rarely take part in caring for the young. Juveniles become fully mature within four years for females and eight years for males. In captivity, individuals have reached an age of 45 years, although natural life expectancy is only 15 to 25 years.

Populations of Golden-bellied Capuchin are restricted to the Atlantic forest of Southeastern Bahia, Brazil, due possibly to high degrees of interference from humans. Historically they probably would have inhabited the entire area east of, and north to, the Rio São Francisco.

The largest continuous area of forest in its known range, the Una Biological Reserve in Bahia, is estimated to contain a population of 185 individuals.

The main reason for the threat to this subspecies is the large-scale destruction of their habitat in eastern Brazil. The local coastal forests were cleared to a great extent and exist only in the form of small remnants. Another danger is the hunting. Within the last 50 years the total population of Golden-bellied Capuchin has gone back more than 80 percent. There are some groups in protected areas, but many of these deposits are too small. Therefore, a breeding program by the Brazilian government, in collaboration with the World of Zoos (WAZA), has been launched.

A Yellow-breasted Capuchin was born on May 17, at Zoo de la Palmyre, bringing the number living in the Zoo’s Monkey House to a total of ten.

The sex of the young Capuchin is yet unknown. Determining the sex requires being able to observe the infant closely, in the right position, which isn’t easy during the first weeks, as the baby spends a lot of time sleeping with its belly pressed against mother.

Photo Credits: F. Perroux/Zoo de la Palmyre

Capuchins are New World monkeys of the subfamily Cebinae. They are readily identified as the "organ-grinder" monkey, and were once very popular in movies and television. The range of Capuchin monkeys includes Central America and South America as far south as northern Argentina. They usually occupy the wet lowland forests on Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and Panama and deciduous dry forest on the Pacific coast.

There are 22 different species of Capuchins in the wild. Yellow-breasted Capuchins (Cebus xanthosternos), also known as “Buff-headed Capuchin” or “Golden-bellied Capuchin”, are endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic forest and live in groups from 10 to 30 individuals. Males can exceed 4kg while females are smaller and weigh less than 3.5kg.

Their prehensile tail acts like a fifth limb and allows them to free their hands while foraging. But unlike the tail of Spider and Howler Monkeys, Capuchins cannot hang by their tail excepting young individuals helped by their lower weight.

Although their diet is mostly composed of fruits, Capuchins also consume eggs and small prey, such as lizards, insects, or birds.

The species is severely threatened by habitat loss, as a result of the massive ongoing deforestation throughout its range: about 92% of the original surface of the Brazilian Atlantic forest has already been destroyed. Captures for the illegal pet trade and hunting for food are also serious treats.