© CONNY SCHMIDT / CATERS NEWS AGENCY (MAIN IMAGE, PETTING NECK); JURGEN AND CHRISTINE SOHNS / FLPA / MINDEN PICTURES (SAKI IN SIDEBAR); IAN BUTLER COSTA RICA / ALAMY (IGUANA IN SIDEBAR)
THE FEMALE
SAKI PETS HER
IGUANAPAL.HANGING OUT IN THEIR
ENCLOSURE, THE PAIR
MUGS FOR THE CAMERA.GREEN IGUANA
RANGE
Central and South
America
WEIGHT
11 pounds
TALL TAIL
If it’s caught by a preda-
tor, the green iguana can
detach its tail and grow
another.
FUNNY NAME
These animals are some-
times referred to as
“bamboo chickens.”WHITE-FACED
SAKI
RANGE
South America
WEIGHT
around 4 pounds
FACE OFF
Only male white-faced
sakis have white fur
covering their faces.
The fur on a female’s face
is mostly brown.
SWEET TREATS
Sakis eat fruit, honey,
leaves, and flowers.Krefeld‚ Germany
This white-faced saki rarely scaled back her affection for her
green iguana bestie. The saki, a type of monkey, loved petting
and snuggling her reptile pal as they lounged together on
tree branches at the Krefeld Zoo.
The saki and iguana met after they were placed in the
zoo’s Rain Forest House, a tree-filled enclosure that’s home
to 40 different types of animals from tropical areas. “Both
green iguanas and white-faced sakis spend most of their
time in treetops,” zoo spokesperson Petra Schwinn says. “One
day these two crossed paths.” The curious saki examined the
reptile, patting its skin with her long fingers.
The pals continued to have hangout sessions, eating
together at the enclosure’s feeding station. But most of
their “playdates” were in the trees and involved the saki pet-
ting the iguana and tickling his chin. The reptile, meanwhile,
seemed to soak up the attention.
Recently the animals moved to
separate zoos. But keepers and
visitors haven’t forgotten
about their friendship.
“They made a good
team,” Schwinn says.BY ELISABETH DEFFNER5
MONKEYDOTES
ON IGUANA
nim a l
n d s
Anim a ln d s
WHITE-FACED