This video features our adult male Allen’s Swamp Monkey, Naku, and our sixteen month old Schmidt’s Red-Tailed Guenon, Matani. They have recently started playing with one another, despite the fact that they are two different species and that Naku is the dominant animal in the exhibit and prefers to spend most of his time playing in his pool. Naku and Matani began interacting by chasing each other around the exhibit, much like Naku and Kabili, Matani’s father, do on occasion. In this video they are on a suspended platform which is attached to the cage mesh by rubber hoses, making it somewhat challenging for the more terrestrial Swamp Monkey. Despite how intense these interactions may appear, they are all part of normal play behavior between a younger and older primate. The other animals in the exhibit watch from a distance to ensure Matani’s safety. Our Allen’s Swamp Monkeys and Schmidt’s Red-Tailed Guenons share an exhibit and both Matani and Naku can be seen playing daily in Wortham World of Primates.
Video taken by Elliott Rosenthal, Houston Zoo Primate Zoo Keeper
Allen's Swamp Monkey