Jocco, thought to be one of the world's oldest capuchin monkeys, and a longtime star at Utah's Hogle Zoo, has died.
The monkey -- known for his cloudy eyes, mangy fur and mostly hairless body but loved by zookeepers and visitors alike -- died in his sleep on June 13, according to zoo spokeswoman Holly Braithwaite.
Braithwaite said that while it is possible that Jocco was 45 when he died -- which would have put him among the oldest capuchins ever -- there is some dispute over his age. "According to a former keeper, there were actually three different Joccos," she said.
Back in the 1960s, she explained, the keepers always called the dominant male of the troop "Jocco."
"So, whenever one would die, the next one would become Jocco," she explained.
As such, she said, it's unclear whether Jocco was really as old as previously thought, which is why the zoo didn't announce his death.
Braithwaite said the zoo had placed a sign on the monkey's habitat to let "his friends" know he was gone.
She said he was suffering from cancer in his jaw.
"He'll be missed," Braithwaite said.
In hopefully happier zoo news, Hogle is expecting the arrival of a baby elephant soon. If all goes well, Christie the elephant will give birth to a calf -- likely weighing more than 200 pounds -- sometime in July or August.
It would be the first elephant calf born at Hogle in more than 80 years.
