New species of monkey - Sneezing Monkey

New species of monkey - Sneezing Monkey

Name:  Rhinopithecus strykeri
Common Name: Sneezing Monkey
Family: Cercopithecidae

A previously unknown type of snub-nosed monkey, discovered in northern Myanmar ( Burma) and dubbed Rhinopithecus strykeri,  a snub-nosed monkey with mostly black fur, a white beard and a penchant for sneezing in the rain. To avoid inhaling water, they sit with their heads tucked between their knees on drizzly days, local hunters say. This species of monkey in fact so snub-nosed that it is said to sneeze uncontrollably when it rains. But "Snubby" has far greater problems than the sniffles.


Local demand for monkey flesh as a food source is one of many reasons the species is endangered; habitat destruction by Chinese logging companies is a big threat, which in turn leads to more hunting: no forest means fewer barriers to tracking and killing these beautiful, vulnerable beasts.


It is very easy to find them when it is raining because the monkeys often get rainwater in their upturned noses, causing them to sneeze.To avoid this, they spend rainy days sitting with their heads tucked between their knees.


There are believed to be between only 260 and 330 of the rare snub-nosed monkeys in existence, living in just a 270-square-kilometer (170-square-mile) area, FFI said on its website. That would classify the new species as endangered already.


In the case of the new snub-nosed monkey, its habitat is at risk of being wiped away by the logging industry. It is also hunted for food by local people.


"If we can convince local people to stop hunting the snub-nosed monkey through creating local pride, develop community-based patrolling and monitoring, and provide alternative sources of livelihoods for forest-dependent communities, we can save [it] from extinction," FFI's Asia-Pacific director, Frank Momberg, told the BBC.


Other similar species of monkeys with upturned noses have been sighted in China and Vietnam, but this is the first time they've been seen in Myanmar, which was formerly known as Burma.