Newly discovered by the scientific community, the Burmese snub–nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri sp. nov) exists in a limited area of Myanmar where logging roads and dams are opening up the primate’s habitat to more hunting pressure. With numbers presently estimated at less than 400 animals, the Burmese primate is already being proposed for Critically Endangered status under IUCN guidelines.
The Discovery of the Burmese Snub–nosed Monkey
Scientists surveying in Myanmar during the Hoolock Gibbon Status Review were led to this primate, which may be new to the scientific world. Hoolock gibbons (Hylobates hoolock) are another of the many endangered primate species.
The local people pointed the Burmese snub–nosed monkey out as a primate that can easily be found during the wet season, when rain getting into its upturned nose causes sneezing. The new primate appears to be closely related to one of the other four recognized snub–nosed monkey species.
The Yunnan snub–nosed monkey (R. bieti) is found just across the Mekong and Salween Rivers from the Burmese primate and the two species share several characteristics. But researchers feel there may be enough difference to warrant the Burmese snub–nosed monkey being declared a new species.
New Species Status Proposed for the Burmese Snub–nosed Monkey
The article in the American Journal of Primatology provides a description of the proposed new species, which includes important measurements and comparisons with known snub–nosed monkey species. Scientists involved in primate research will review the data. If the evidence is considered sufficient, the Burmese snub–nosed monkey will be accepted as a new species. In the meantime, the animal is listed as Rhinopithecus strykeri sp. nov. The Sp. nov. at the end, from the Latin species nova, indicates a species that is being proposed as new.
Conservation Status as an Endangered Species Will Also Need to be Verified
The primate researchers who found the Burmese snub–nosed monkey are also requesting the new species be listed as Critically Endangered under IUCN guidelines. There is evidence that at least 13 monkeys were killed in 2009 alone. A new dam is being built in the area and logging roads are now going into snub–nosed monkey habitat, increasing the risk of more animals being killed for food.
The information the scientists have provided will be reviewed in accordance with the IUCN Assessment Process. If the proposal has merit, the Burmese snub–nosed monkey will be placed on the endangered species list. All four other species of snub–nosed monkey are already listed as endangered so even if it is determined that the primates found in Myanmar are a subspecies rather than a separate species, they will likely make the IUCN Red List.
Dawn M. Smith - A vet nurse, Dawn has worked in wildlife rehabilitation and conservation around the world in addition to her veterinary hospital ...
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