Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

First new monkey genus found in 83 years

|
|
 
  
Published: May 11, 2006 at 3:57 PM
Advertisement

NEW YORK, May 11 (UPI) -- A monkey species found in Tanzania last year has now been shown to be so unique, it requires a new genus -- the first one for monkeys in 83 years.

But conservationists warn quick action is needed to protect the monkeys' home from illegal logging and hunting, or the species may soon vanish.

The monkey, first described by New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society scientists and other groups, was found in Tanzania and initially believed related to mangabeys.

However, DNA studies reveal the species is unique, marking the first new genus for a living monkey species since 1923.

The new genus, Rungwecebus, refers to Mt. Rungwe, where the monkey was first observed. Scientists estimate approximately 500 of the monkeys remain in the wild.

"The discovery of a new primate species is an amazing event, but the discovery of a new genus makes this animal a true conservation celebrity," said the lead author Tim Davenport.

"It would be the ultimate irony to lose a species this unique so soon after we have discovered it," said WCS primatologist John Robinson. "This is a world treasure and, as such, we urge the world community to protect it."

The study appears in the journal Science.

Topics: John Robinson
© 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Notable deaths of 2012 AmfAR Cinema Against AIDS gala Indianapolis 500
BAFTA awards Golden Gate Bridge turns 75 Memorial Day around the nation
Additional Science News Stories
1 of 28
Lori Anne Madison, 6, competes in Scripps National Spelling Bee
View Caption
Lori Anne Madison, 6, of Woodbridge, Virginia, spells out the letters in her word as she competes during the opening round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, May 30, 2012, in National Harbor, Maryland. Madison, the youngest known qualifier in the history of the contest, correctly spelled the word "dirigible*", a lighter-than-air aircraft, to advance. UPI/Mike Theiler
fark
Annoying co-worker has a habit of leaving his computer unlocked. I'm thinking of adding "Smoke weed...
You rode a scooter to a murder? Son, I am disappoint
10 greatest moments in political misspellings
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's incurable metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma only has a few months left...
Authoritarian regime stops the rest of the world from stopping authoritarian regime
Is Mitt Romney actually a unicorn, and thus ineligible for the presidency? We're just asking questions...