How monkey business and deforestation created a new species

How monkey business and deforestation created a new species

A mystery hybrid monkey discovered in Borneo is under threat from deforestation, scientists have warned, as they called for the rare cross-breed to be protected. The unidentified monkey is believed to be a blend between two different species that are competing for forest space, according to a study in the International Journal of Primatology and reported in Live Science. Researchers say the new species is likely to be the offspring of a proboscis monkey and a silvery langur , which are distantly related and occupy the same narrow strip of jungle territory in the Malaysian part of the island. In pictures dating back to a 2017 Facebook post, the monkey was initially observed as a juvenile. However, photos from 2020 showed a more mature female that may have already given birth. While hybrids are normally sterile, the photos showed that the monkey had swollen breasts associated with lactation, suggesting the offspring was her own. "She appeared to be nursing a baby," Nadine Ruppert, co-author of the study and a primatologist at the Universiti Sains Malaysia, told Live Science. "We were all in awe, it was quite surreal." But even as scientists celebrate the evolution of a potentially unique new monkey