An endangered collared lemur gave birth to a rare set of twins at the Bronx Zoo in March — and the new family is making their debut just in time for Mother’s Day.
The Bronx Zoo announced its new arrivals in an adorable compilation featuring the three-monkey troop bouncing around their blended habitat.
“What’s better than one collared lemur baby…? TWO!” the zoo wrote.
The twins were born on March 15 and have clung to their mother ever since. Since the twins’ bodies are still quite fragile, they largely rely on their tails for balance in the rare instances where they drift from their mother, zoo officials said.
The monkeys are typically burrowed deep in their mother’s fur until they’re nearly camouflaged. They also curl their tails around her waist for extra support.
The twins and their mother were recently resituated back in the zoo’s “Madagascar!” habitat, which is teeming with other lemur breeds and endangered species unique to the East African island.
Their unveiling comes just one week before Mother’s Day — and the zoo was not keen to forget it.
“Celebrate this special day together in the fresh air, surrounded by spring blooms and baby animals, including our collared lemur twins in Madagascar!” the zoo wrote.
The collared lemur was named for the reddish-brown fur that flares around their necks, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.
The species is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List as its population continues to plummet largely due to habitat destruction.
The Bronx Zoo participates in the collared lemur Species Survival Program, a conservative breeding operation aimed at maintaining healthy genetic diversity and long-term survival for the species.
The zoo also helps rehabilitate other animals, including a flock of abused toucans that was rescued from an exotic birds smuggler in California.
