Earlier this summer, Bham Now reported that Matea and Monte—two black howler monkeys at the Birmingham Zoo—had given birth to a baby.

Over the past week, the zoo asked its supporters to vote on her new name.

Of the three options—Mei, Meera and Mesa—Mei received 53% of the community votes.

Mei is Matea and Monte’s third baby in as many years. The other two are named Miko (age three) and Myla (age one-and-a-half.)

The family of five live together in the black howler monkey habitat in the Primates and South America Building.

Why howler monkeys matter

According to the Birmingham Zoo, howler monkeys are native to South America and are the loudest terrestrial animals in the Western Hemisphere. They can be found in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina and are the largest monkeys in Latin American rainforests.

In the wild, howlers live to be between 15 to 20 years old. In human care, they often reach 20 years.

This family is the result of a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ black howler monkey Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative management program that ensures healthy, sustainable populations in AZA zoos.

Have you seen our local Black howler monkey family at the Birmingham Zoo? Tell us your favorite story about them on Instagram by tagging us at @bhamnow!