| Myanmar snub-nosed monkey | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Cercopithecidae |
| Genus: | Rhinopithecus |
| Species: | R. strykeri |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhinopithecus strykeri Geissmann et al., 2010 |
|
| Distribution: Kachin State, Northern Burma (Myanmar), in black, contains the range of R. strykeri. | |
The Myanmar snub-nosed monkey or Burmese snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri) is a highly threatened species of colobine monkey found in northern Burma (Myanmar). The species is known in local dialects as mey nwoah (monkey with an upturned face). Rain allegedly causes it to sneeze due to the short upturned nasal flesh around its nostrils. People from the area report that it sits with its head directed downwards, hiding its face between its knees when it rains.[1]
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The species came to the attention of a team of scientists allied to the "Myanmar Primate Conservation Program"[2] researching the status of the Hoolock Gibbon in early 2010.[3] The team, led by Swiss primatologist Thomas Geissman and Ngwe Lwin of the Myanmar Biodiversity And Nature Conservation Association, were supported by Fauna & Flora International (FFI)[2] and the People Resources and Conservation Foundation. The species has been given the binomial name Rhinopithecus strykeri in honour of philanthropist Jon Stryker, president and founder of the Arcus Foundation[4][5] which also sponsored the project.
The specimen most closely examined was the skull (with mandible) and skin of a gutted adult male obtained from hunters in Pade, subsequently deposited in the Anthropological Institute and Museum of the University of Zürich.[6] Additional sample skulls of animals killed some three years earlier, one male and one female, were also collected along with a bag made out of the skin of a juvenile caught in January 2010, all obtained in Htantan village.[6]
The team encountered seven live specimens, including an infant, but these moved out of sight before they could be photographed or studied in detail.[1]
The monkey's fur is mostly black. Its crown consists of a thin, high, forward-curved crest of long, black hairs. It has protruding white ear tufts, a mostly naked face with pale pink skin, a “moustache” of whitish hairs above the upper lip, and a distinct white chin beard. The perineal area is white and clearly defined, and the limbs are mostly black; the inner sides of the upper arms and upper legs are blackish brown.[6]
The lips of Rhinopithecus strykeri are prominent, and the nose upturned, allegedly causing the animal to sneeze in rainy weather.[7] Its tail is approximately 1.4 times the body length: the first sample, an adult male, has a head-body length of 55.5 centimetres (21.9 in), and a tail 78 cm (31 in) long.[6]
The species spend summer months in temperate mixed forests at upper altitudes of their range, and descend to lower ground in the winter to escape snow.[6][8]
The only known specimens exist in three or four groups within a 270 square kilometres (100 sq mi) range at 1,700 to 3,200 metres (5,600–10,500 ft) above sea level in the eastern Himalayas, in the north-eastern section of Kachin State, the northernmost part of Burma (Myanmar). The species, the first species of the Rhinopithecus genus to be found in Myanmar, is isolated from other species of snub-nosed monkeys by the Mekong and the Salween rivers; the other 4 species, golden, black, gray and Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys, are found in China and Vietnam.[3][6]
The known population of R. strykeri is estimated at 260 to 330 individuals.[6]
Other monkey species that inhabit the same area as the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey include the Shortridge's langur, stump-tailed macaque, Assam macaque, rhesus macaque, and northern pig-tailed macaque.[6]
Deforestation due to logging operations,[2] isolation and hunting by local humans for food are considered dangers[7] to the small extant population. The known population size is 260-330 individuals[9] and it has been suggested it should be placed in the Critically Endangered category by the IUCN.[10]