28/06/2008 15:21. Even as a youngster, Rollie looked older and wiser than his years. His white mustache sprouted longer by the month, until it flamed from his cheeks like a German kaiser's. Sometimes, it all but hid his mouth.

In the last few years, though, the tribulations of age - not just the appearance of it - have begun catching up with Rollie. It wasn't immediately noticeable on the outside. But his keepers are reminded each time they get a look past the emperor tamarin's flowing whiskers, and into his jaws.

The tiny monkey, used to crunching away on raw sweet potatoes and celery, has surrendered all but six of his 32 teeth to the toll of time.

At 17, Rollie - a resident of Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo - is a senior citizen of his species. In the wilds of the Amazon , his keepers say, he almost... // Boston Globe