Spring’s arrival with warmer days is exciting at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium as guests will find some new additions representing a few of the international species cared for at the Zoo. In Spring 2022, several babies were welcomed into the Zoo family, including a baby colobus monkey, two feathertail gliders, and two stingray pups!
Baby Colobus Monkey
The first birth of 2022 occurred behind the scenes on January 15 with the arrival of a male guereza colobus monkey, who was named Jif by his care team. On warmer days, Jif and his experienced mother, Jabari, and father, Sekani, can be found in the Zoo’s Congo Expedition region with the troop that includes two other females.
The colobus monkeys’ striking long black and white fur and tail make them distinctive in their range countries in equatorial Africa. This long fur also serves as an important cover as female colobus monkeys use it to help hide babies from predators. Colobus monkeys spend half their day resting and sleeping, and the rest of the time is spent eating and moving through trees to look for food. The word colobus means “mutilated one” as the species lacks thumbs. Instead, they have a little nub with a nail instead of a thumb, and they use their long fingers as “hooks” as they leap from tree to tree. While their conservation status is currently listed as Least Concern, they continue to face threats such as habitat destruction, hunting, and capture for the illegal wildlife trade.
Jif’s care team reports that he is doing well and is quite active! The colobus monkeys have access to their outdoor habitat when the weather is above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Feathertail Glider Joeys
The Columbus Zoo is one of only two breeding institutions in North America caring for the world’s smallest marsupial, the feathertail glider. The Zoo’s colony of 27 feathertail gliders grew by two this year with the arrival of two joeys for one mother in January. About the size of a mouse when they become adults, feathertail glider joeys are smaller than a grain of rice when born. While feathertail gliders grow to be only 2 to 3 inches long, they can glide up to 90 feet between trees. These tiny mammals earned their name due to their flat tail that has stiff hairs on both sides to help them steer, while a flap of skin between their front and back legs acts like a parachute as they glide from branch to branch. Feathertail gliders also have tiny skin ridges and hairs on their feet and sweat glands on the pads of their toes. These sweat glands act like suction cups, enabling them to climb well on smooth surfaces, including glass.
Feathertail gliders fulfill an important role in the ecosystem by helping to pollinate flowers and plants. They are primarily nectar eaters and will put their noses in a flower to get the nectar. Pollen sticks to their faces and as they put their faces in the next flower, they transfer some of the pollen. Researchers believe that feathertail gliders are relatively common in most of eastern Australia; however, not a lot of other information is currently known about this nocturnal species since they are difficult to find due to their small size. Zoos like the Columbus Zoo are contributing to knowledge about the species to help learn more about these animals’ habits and needs.
The joeys typically emerge from their mother’s pouch at approximately 63 days old and start venturing outside of the nest box to join the rest of the colony at around 2.5 months old. The two joeys born this year are now just a little smaller than the adults, as joeys are usually full-grown by about 4 months old. Guests can find the feathertail gliders in the Zoo’s Nocturnal Building, located in the Australia and the Islands region.
Stingray Pups
The Columbus Zoo’s resident aquatic population also increased in 2022 with the addition of two male cownose ray pups born on February 7 and 18. Both pups can currently be viewed in their “playpen” in Stingray Bay, located in the Zoo’s Adventure Cove region. The playpen is set up in the middle of the touch pool to provide a safe place for the pups. This allows them to be with the other stingrays while also being separated enough to receive extra care and feeding from keepers to ensure their health. The pups are the size of a small dinner plate now (10-12 inches from wingtip to wingtip) and will grow to be more than 3 feet wide as an adult.
Stingrays, sharks, and skates are elasmobranchs, which means their body is made of cartilage (like a human’s nose). Cownose rays give birth to live young, though they first hatch from eggs inside the females’ body. As the mother gives births, the pups are initially folded up like a burrito and unfold when they are born. Pups are born with full barbs that are over an inch in length so they are ready to protect themselves.
Named for the shape of their head, cownose rays have only a few natural predators, including hammerhead sharks and humans. However, cownose rays are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species™ because the population is decreasing due to overharvesting and pollution that has negatively impacted their grass bed habitat. Keeping oceans and waterways free of litter and old fishing line, as well as using the Seafood Watch guide to know what fish are sustainably sourced, can help make a difference for the future of cownose rays and other marine life.
Columbus Zoo guests can gently and safely interact with cownose rays and southern stingrays in the touch pool as the rays gracefully glide through the water. Stingray Bay is free with Zoo admission, and feeding opportunities are available for an additional fee.
“We love seeing these healthy spring arrivals, and with each birth we celebrate the amazing diversity of wildlife from around the world,” said Dr. Jan Ramer, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s Senior Vice President of Animal Care and Conservation. “Spring is a great time to visit the Zoo to relax and enjoy the beautiful grounds, and to learn more about our incredible animals and ways can all do our part to help protect these species and their habitats.”
