National Zoo's Baby Howler Monkey Cuddles With His Mom (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON -- The Smithsonian's National Zoo has been burying us with photos of adorable baby animals lately! Now there's a cute video, too.

The zoo has just released footage of its new black howler monkey baby born on March 22. He's the first surviving howler monkey in the zoo's history. He spends most of the video snuggled up to his mom.

The baby's parents -- mom Chula and dad Pele -- are said to be doing a good job with their baby. The zoo said in a media release that Chula and Pele have "exhibited strong parental skills and the young primate seems bright, alert, and increases its activity and independence day by day."

You can see the baby monkey and his parents for yourself at the zoo's Small Mammal House.

Until you get there, check out the video at the top of the page. See the monkey when he was even younger in the slideshow below:

Black howler monkeys are among the largest primates in the Western Hemisphere -- they can grow to be two to four feet tall. Males are black, while females are lighter brown. The zoo's baby is blond now and will darken as he gets older.

The monkeys are herbivores. They live as groups in trees around Central and South American forests. They howl, loudly -- hence their names. More sweetly, they also hold hands; researchers are still trying to figure out why.