Newquay Zoo’s cotton-top tamarins have been keeping a secret

Two tiny faces have started peering out from the backs of Newquay Zoo’s cotton-top tamarins. And for the second time in two years, Febe and Santiago have doubled their family in one go.

Newquay Zoo has announced that the pair have welcomed a new set of twins, saying Febe and Santiago had been keeping “a little secret… or should we say two!” The zoo added that the team is “over the moon”.

📷Febe and Santiago's new twins at Newquay Zoo. Credit: Newquay Zoo

A family of six on the main lake

The new arrivals follow Febe and Santiago’s first twins, born in 2025. With two more joining them, the cotton-top family now stands at six, and they all live together on the zoo’s main lake.

Two sets of twins might sound like a lot. But for this species it’s the norm.

Dads do their share

Cotton-top tamarins are highly social and live in close-knit family groups. Fathers take an active role in raising the young, and the zoo says the whole family has been caring for the newcomers brilliantly.

Why two more babies matter

Cotton-top tamarins are Critically Endangered and among the world’s most endangered primates. The zoo describes the birth of two more healthy offspring as wonderful news for the conservation of the species, and says it can’t wait to watch them grow up alongside their siblings.

When you might spot them

Anyone visiting the zoo in Newquay over the next few weeks should look out for the twins clinging to their parents’ backs. That won’t last long. At around six weeks old they should start exploring on their own.

📷Febe and Santiago's new twins at Newquay Zoo. Credit: Newquay Zoo