New L'hoest's monkey baby at Edinburgh Zoo!

[iloveconverse]

very cute little baby. why is the baby golden brown when its mother is black?

[TheEdinburghZoo]

@iloveconverse Hi, thanks for your question. According to our Head Keeper of Primates, "L'Hoest's Monkey babies are such a different colour to the adults as this provokes a protective response from the rest of the group. Basically, no matter what the relationship is with the infant, the other troop members will instinctively protect the new baby. The adult colouration gradually begins to develop when the baby is around three to four months old."