Rare Bushbaby Emerges From Zoo Den

Look closely, and you may be able to spot a new arrival beneath the baobab tree at Lincoln Park Zoo's Regenstein Small Mammal and Reptile House—a tiny Moholi bushbaby.

Weighing less than one third of an ounce, the little one was born in January, but has only recently emerged from its den to explore the exhibit with mom and dad, zoo officials announced on Thursday. There are fewer than 20 bushbabies in zoos across the U.S., they noted, while stressing how rare the creature is.

Unlike most primates, bushbaby parents don’t carry their offspring. Instead, they leave the babies in a nest until they’re mobile enough to follow the adults through the treetops. The zoo's bushbaby has grown significantly in both strength and size during the past month or so—its weight now exceeds 1 ounce.

"A nocturnal species native to southern Africa, bushbabies live in small family groups in the wild," the zoo's president, Kevin Bell, said in a letter sent this week. "They feed primarily on insects and fruits, defending their territory from other members of their species."

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The bushbaby family at Regenstein Small Mammal–Reptile House doesn’t have any territorial concerns, he said. But they’re still extremely active climbing and playing in their zoo home, especially with their new baby.

"Of course, another zoo baby remains at the forefront of our minds," he wrote, mentioning , who recently suffered a facial laceration. "She’s getting plenty of play—and healing—in every day. We’ll have another update on her soon."

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