• Question: have you ever seen a monkey give birth?

    Asked by to Lewis on 13 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Lewis Dean

      Lewis Dean answered on 13 Mar 2014:

      No, I haven’t ever seen that. They actually often give birth at night, when no-one is there. I have seen some very new baby capuchin monkeys, though. They are not that cute when they are very young, but they are amazing because they manage to cling onto their mother’s back very tightly.

Comments

  • auntyjessi commented on :

    Do you think they give birth at night because they want some privacy and it is cooler at night and less stressful?

  • Photo: Lewis

    Lewis commented on :

    A lot of mammals give birth at night because it is more difficult for predators to see them at night, so it is safer for them. Obviously you can’t really run away very quickly from a predator while you are giving birth or when you have a very little baby. Although there aren’t predators in the zoos with the monkeys, it is still common for them to give birth at night.