'Laid Back' Snow Monkey Reaches Milestone Birthday At MN Zoo

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – North America's oldest living male snow monkey is celebrating another year at the Minnesota Zoo.

Nikko was born in September of 1983, the zoo said, and that makes the unusually chill macaque now 30 years old.

Tropics Trail Supervisor Tom Ness says that Nikko's calm demeanor has probably helped him live through his 20s.

"As one of the dominant males, he has always been laid back – helping to maintain peace within in the troop which is not typical of male macaques," Ness said. "We believe that his personality has helped him survive almost twice as long as a typical male."

(To see Nikko open his fruit-filled birthday present, watch the video below.)

Only three other snow monkeys in the world are older than Nikko: there are two 32-year-olds in Czechoslovakia, and one 31-year-old in Roma.

The zoo said it's estimated that Nikko has lived longer than 99.5 percent of other known male macaques.

Nikko's claim to title, the zoo says, comes from records in the international studbook, a record-keeping system similar to a pedigree.

The Minnesota Zoo is located in Apple Valley.