1. LINE

      Text:AAAPrint
      Sci-tech

      New macaque species discovered in Tibet

      1
      2015-04-22 13:10Xinhua Editor: Gu Liping

      Chinese experts claim to have discovered a new species of macaque and now the race is on to protect it.

      The new monkey species - found in southeast Tibet's Modog County - has been named the white-cheeked macaque.

      Although the discovery was only published last month on the website of American Journal of Primatology, experts say it is already feeling the stress of human encroachment and activities.

      Chinese wildlife photographer Li Cheng first identified the new species after he heard its call in the woods in 2012.

      "It was a high-pitched 'Yi-ou' - I had never heard such a call from a macaque before," Li recalls. However, the group of around 10 macaques vanished into the woods before he could make them out.

      In October 2013, Li joined a field survey of wild species in Tibet. He set 31 cameras in the primeval forest in Modog. Motion sensors triggered the cameras to take three images and a 15-second video each time they detected movement.

      Half a year later, he had 738 photos and more than 100 videos of the "special macaques" of Modog.

      In December 2014, Fan Pengfei, an associate professor of primate studies in Dali University, and Zhao Chao, a researcher at Southwest Forestry University, both claimed to have seen the "special macaques" in Modog.

      From the photographs, Li, Fan and Zhao determined the species appeared distinct from all known species of macaque.

      Their most distinguishing feature - and the source of its name - was the regular off-white fur on the cheeks of the adults.

      Other distinctive traits included long, thick hair on the neck, a relatively hairless short tail, dark skin on the muzzle, and round rather than arrow-shaped male genitalia.

      A sonogram made by Peng highlighted the white-cheeked macaque's high-pitched alarm call, which was unlike the low-pitched bark of macaques in southwest China.

      "Due to ethical concerns about killing wild primates, we did not obtain a specimen, so our study was based on photographs and analysis of its physical attributes to determine it was a new morphospecies," Peng says.

      "Currently, Modog is the only known habitat of the white-cheeked macaque, though its range may extend to neighboring counties in China and regions of southeast Tibet controlled by India," says Li, who estimates the population at about 500.

      Discoveries of new species of mammals - especially primates - are rare, says Li Baoguo, president of the China Primatological Society. "The white-cheeked macaque is the second new species of macaque recorded in the past century. This discovery is significant in the study of biodiversity changes caused by human activities."

      It also highlights the need for biodiversity conservation in southeast Tibet, said Li, who wants more intensive surveys, studies and environmental protection in the area.

      "We will look for excrement or fur of the animal for DNA testing to understand it better, and we'll further explore its habitat and distribution," says Peng.

      Ranging from tropical forest to alpine conditions, Modog is a biodiversity-rich area in the eastern Himalayan region.

      Though slash-and-burn land clearance has long been prohibited in Modog, it is still threatened by human activity, the research article said.

      The hunting traditions of local minority groups, such as the Menba and Luoba, used to include hunting macaques, according to long-time expert Guo Guangpu, a lecturer at the School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University.

      Awareness of the need for ecological protection has grown in recent years, but some people still use wire snares to capture wild animals, including macaques, he says.

      Local government plans to build hydropower stations could also affect the macaques' habitat, the article said.

      Guo wants hydropower projects to fully consider the possible ecological impacts and avoid flooding extensive areas of forest, which could be home to the white-cheeked macaque and other unique creatures.

      "Numerous species, known and unknown, live in the primeval forest," says Zhao. "The forest is like an ancient museum of nature, home to many unique animals, and we have seen only a few of them."

      Related news

      MorePhoto

      Most popular in 24h

      MoreTop news

      MoreVideo

      News
      Politics
      Business
      Society
      Culture
      Military
      Sci-tech
      Entertainment
      Sports
      Odd
      Features
      Biz
      Economy
      Travel
      Travel News
      Travel Types
      Events
      Food
      Hotel
      Bar & Club
      Architecture
      Gallery
      Photo
      CNS Photo
      Video
      Video
      Learning Chinese
      Learn About China
      Social Chinese
      Business Chinese
      Buzz Words
      Bilingual
      Resources
      ECNS Wire
      Special Coverage
      Infographics
      Voices
      LINE
      Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
      Copyright ©1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
      Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
      主站蜘蛛池模板: 日日摸夜夜添夜夜免费视频| 国产乱子伦精品免费视频| 好吊妞在线成人免费| 激情无码亚洲一区二区三区 | 亚洲成色WWW久久网站| 18禁止看的免费污网站| 亚洲精品456人成在线| 亚洲一区二区三区在线播放| 十八禁无码免费网站| 亚洲精品无码日韩国产不卡av| 国产成人综合亚洲AV第一页| 1000部拍拍拍18免费网站| 国产成人精品久久亚洲高清不卡 | 热99re久久精品精品免费| 在线看片免费人成视频久网下载| 亚洲精品91在线| 亚洲av区一区二区三| 免费视频成人片在线观看| mm1313亚洲国产精品无码试看| 亚洲爆乳无码专区| 日韩在线免费电影| 18女人腿打开无遮掩免费| 男人免费视频一区二区在线观看| 911精品国产亚洲日本美国韩国| 国产精品视频免费一区二区三区| 18禁超污无遮挡无码免费网站 | 在线成人爽a毛片免费软件| 污污污视频在线免费观看| 亚洲H在线播放在线观看H| 亚洲自偷自偷在线制服| 曰皮全部过程视频免费国产30分钟| 无码成A毛片免费| 免费中文字幕视频| 亚洲日韩精品无码AV海量| 亚洲伦理一区二区| 亚洲无线一二三四区手机| 免费看片免费播放| 国产妇乱子伦视频免费| 在线观看免费无码视频| 日韩在线一区二区三区免费视频| 亚洲hairy多毛pics大全|