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Help the Zoo Name its Supercute New Baby Snow Monkey

By Paul Biasco | May 22, 2015 12:23pm | Updated on May 28, 2015 4:51pm
 Lincoln Park Zoo's snow monkey Ono holding her baby boy.
Lincoln Park Zoo's snow monkey Ono holding her baby boy.
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Lincoln Park Zoo

LINCOLN PARK — The Lincoln Park Zoo is looking for some help naming the first Japanese snow monkey born earlier this month.

The baby boy was born May 2 and became the ninth monkey in the zoo's new state-of-the-art habitat.

The monkey has been clinging tight to mother Ono and it's now up to the public to name the baby.

The zoo has narrowed it down to five choices: Obihiro, Obu, Okuchi, Osaka and Otsu.

All of them start with "O" for a reason.

“Our plan is to have kids’ names start with the first letter of mom’s name,” said Maureen Leahy, curator of primates. “Matrilines" — the lines of female descent — "are really important in establishing the cool cultures we see in snow monkey troops, behaviors ranging from washing food to warming up in hot springs.”

Voting is open on the zoo's website at lpzoo.org.

Obu was in the lead in early voting.

The zoo expects to announce the winner May 29.

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