Swamp monkey born at the National Zoo

Mother Allen's swamp monkey Layla holds her baby born March 9. ((Erin Stromberg, Smithsonian's National Zoo))

The Smithsonian National Zoo is celebrating the birth of a very special new addition to its Washington D.C. primate exhibit. The 9-year-old mother, Layla gave birth overnight on March 9, to an Allen’s swamp monkey, sired by 15-year-old father Nub Armstrong. Primate keepers have yet to identify the sex of the newborn since Layla is tightly holding and nursing the baby, which appears to be healthy. Visitors to the exhibit can see four adult Allen’s swamp monkeys, three Schmidt’s red-tailed monkeys, and the new born baby monkey.

Allen’s swamp monkeys are native to the swamp forests of Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Small and stout, with fur that varies in color, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies them as Least Concern but they continue to face threats due to human conflict and wildlife trafficking, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.