New snub-nosed monkey discovered in Burma

DesertRhino150 said:
The current population is only estimated at 260-330 individuals. :(
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perhaps because they keep drowning when it rains.....

seriously though, amazing news. I am however a little confused by the wording of the photo caption: "Reconstruction of Myanmar snub-nosed monkey"
 
On another site they said that a biologist took a picture of a Yunnan snub-nosed monkey and photoshopped it. There are no images available yet of this newly discovered animal.

Amazing news though :)
 
Great news.

I have a soft spot for all colobine primates in Africa/Asia and especially Rhinopithecidae et al.
 
DesertRhino150 said:
The current population is only estimated at 260-330 individuals. :(
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Hopefully as news of this Monkey's existence has only just come to light, a bigger population may also be discovered in due course.

I thought the 'reconstruction' looked like a Siamang's head and body with a snub-nosed Monkey face superimposed on it.
 
Pertinax said:
Hopefully as news of this Monkey's existence has only just come to light, a bigger population may also be discovered in due course.

I thought the 'reconstruction' looked like a Siamang's head and body with a snub-nosed Monkey face superimposed on it.
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An image reconstructed by photoshop, based on a Yunnan snub-nosed monkey and the carcass of the newly discovered species, is also available. This image should be credited to Dr Thomas Geissmann.
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Source: New Snub-Nosed Monkey Discovered in Northern Myanmar
 
Presumably that was how it was discovered, by shooting one?

No Siamang's body was used then..:)
 
Wonderful news lets hope the local hunters can be stopped from killing them for food
 
Thanks for the links everyone. Great new addition to an amazing genus of monkeys, though sadly (but not unexpectedly) critically endangered already.

And I would bet that rhinopithecus bieti has contributed to "Yeti" (or Yeh-ren as the Chinese call it) sightings in China ;)
 
Photos captured of skull-faced monkeys
there are six photos on the link
11 Jan 2012

Researchers deep in the wilderness in northern Burma have captured the first ever live images of one of the strangest monkeys ever discovered.

The Myanmar snub-nosed monkey was first documented in October 2010 after one of the species was killed by local hunters.

With practically no nose to speak of, the metre-high monkeys have a frightening skull-like appearance. While conservationists from Flora and Fauna International (FFI) managed to spot the rare primates in the wild, the animals fled before photos could be taken.

Now, after setting up a series of camera traps, the researchers used motion sensor photography to document the bizarre creatures.

"These images are the first record of the animal in its natural habitat," researcher Ngwe Lwin said in a press release from FFI.

"We were dealing with very tough conditions in a remote and rugged area that contained perhaps fewer than 200 monkeys."

Living in the remote northern state of Kachin, hunters say the monkeys tuck their heads between their knees when it rains, because water dripping into their unprotected noses causes them to sneeze.

With an estimated 330 individuals, the snub-nosed monkey is listed as critically endangered.

The monkeys are increasingly under pressure from logging, industrial development and the bushmeat trade.
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in exciting news, the Burmese snub-nosed monkey has been discovered to also live in China as well:
First photo evidence of snub-nosed monkey species in China
26 July 2012

Chinese researchers have published the first evidence that a population of the recently discovered snub-nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus Strykeri, live in China. Until now researchers have been unable to photograph the monkey, whose upturned nostrils are said to make it sneeze in the rain.

The paper is published in the American Journal of Primatology. The species was first discovered by a team led by Ngwe Lwin from the Myanmar Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association and described by Dr Thomas Geissman in the American Journal of Primatology in October 2010. It was believed that the species was isolated to the Kachin State of north eastern Myanmar. However, this new discovery reveals the international range of this critically endangered species.

The new expedition, led by Yongcheng Long from the Nature Conservancy China Program, travelled to the Yunnan province of China after a forest guard, Liu Pu, took photos of a group of snub-nosed monkeys in a forest in near Pianma, in Yunann's Lushui County.

"The population of this species is hard to estimate, but based on our contacts with the monkey group both in October 2011 and in March 2012 we estimate the population to be less than 100 individuals," said Long. "However, while we now know the home range to be far greater than previously believed, we still do not yet know the true population number or the extent of their home range as the monkeys are shy and very hard to access."

In local dialects the species is called mey nwoah, 'monkey with an upturned face', although it was officially named 'Rhinopithecus Strykeri' in honour of Jon Stryker, President and Founder of the Arcus Foundation, which supported the initial project.

Local hunters claim the monkey is easy to find when it is raining because they often get rainwater in their upturned noses causing them to sneeze. However, long term observations did not show that they spend rainy days sitting with their heads tucked between their knees as the hunters also claim.

Thomas Geissmann, who led the taxonomic description, described the monkey as having almost entirely blackish fur with white fur only on ear tufts, chin beard and perineal area. It also has a relatively long tail, approximately 140% of its body size. The new photos confirm this description.

"After the discovery of the new species of Snub-nosed Monkey in Myanmar we conducted hunter interview surveys along the Chinese-Myanmar border which suggest at least one group in contiguous forest across the border in Yunnan. I contacted Long Yongchen my friend and colleague from the IUCN primate specialist group who followed and organised the first surveys that document the presence of the Myanmar 'snubby' in China," said Frank Momberg, Fauna & Flora International, Myanmar Program Director. "The discovery of Rhinepithecus strykeri in China gives a bit more hope for the species survival, however the population is still considered critically endangered, due to the high level of threats and very small population."

With a range crossing national borders efforts to conserve this endangered species will no longer by isolated to Myanmar. The country is currently experiencing political reform, which is expected to lead to economic and industrial development, which may impact natural areas. The researchers are calling for action from China, Myanmar and the international conservation community to protect the area's rich biodiversity.

"This monkey group was actually found in an area designated as a nature reserve 30 years ago and while local people have been hunting the species for ages, local managers knew nothing about it," concluded Long. "This highlights the need to improve wildlife management in China, as it is likely quite a few new species of plants and animals may be discovered in the border areas between China and Myanmar."
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this is fantastic news, from a conservation aspect as well as a personal one (because it means that I don't need to wait till that part of Burma becomes visitable, I can seek them out in China instead when my funds allow. So much easier!!).
 
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Even though the population size is still an estimate, it's still larger than the Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys. Theres a lot more hope with these if there estimate might be correct than the tonkins, which are around 70-110.
 
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