BALTIMORE — Visitors of the Maryland Zoo may soon get to meet their newest resident.
Twiggy the chimpanzee arrived in March from the San Francisco Zoo, but she's not yet been introduced to guests or her fellow troop.
A few interesting facts about Twiggy...
First, she's 40-years-old and rather large for a female chimp.
The Zoo says Twiggy stands out for her "receded hairline."
Last but not least if you pay very close attention, Twiggy "almost always extends her left pinky when she eats."
While new to Maryland, Twiggy has some familiarity with a pair of chimps already at the zoo named Alex and Abby, who she previously got to know at another facility.
“Chimpanzee troops have sophisticated social structures and introducing a new member requires complex navigation. So it’s helpful that Twiggy has preexisting relationships to help her get settled," said Pam Carter, the Maryland Zoo Chimpanzee Forest Area Manager, who also knows Twiggy from the past.
SEE ALSO: Maryland Zoo reveals name of two-month old baby chimp
So why'd Twiggy move to Charm City?
Well, the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens was phasing out chimps to focus on critically-endangered Bornean orangutans.
Once she finally gets settled here, Twiggy will join the 17 other chimps, including Alex and Abby, who already call the Maryland Zoo home.
Chimpanzees are an endangered species with only about 150,000 living in African forests today, down from one to two million in 1900.
