Scientists have shared details of a “mystery monkey" found at Kinabatangan River in the Malaysian part of Borneo which could be part of a rare case of hybridisation between distantly related primate species. The study, published in the International Journal of Primatology last month, details the discovery of a hybrid monkey that seems to be an offspring of a male probosci's monkey or Nasalis larvatus, and a female silvered leaf monkey or Trachypithecus cristatus.
For the study, the team of researchers analysed the pictures of the hybrid monkey. To arrive at their conclusion, the team of researchers used a set of categorical characters and metric measurements to compare the putative hybrid with the likely parent species. Nonmetric comparison showed that this “mystery monkey” is intermediate in several characters, states the study.
Their analysis revealed that the mystery monkey is a hybrid of two distantly related primate species that share the same fragmented habitat. Sharing her thoughts on the discovery, study author and primatologist Nadine Ruppert, told Science News, different species, even from the same genus, when they share a habitat, they may interact with each other, but they may usually not mate. This kind of cross-genera hybridization happens only when there is some ecological pressure.”
Scientists speculate that the ecological pressure that has forced these primates to reproduce is due to the anthropogenic changes to the landscape. Expansion of oil palm plantations confined proboscis monkey and silvered leaf monkey to narrow riverine forest patches along the Kinabatangan. A study in 2014 found that the state of Sabah, where Kinabatangan River is located, lost about 40 percent of its forest cover from 1973 to 2010. The loss of forest cover due to deforestation and palm oil plantations have reduced the natural habitat of these primates. The study also points out that indiscriminate deforestation may have conservation implications, indicating limited mate access and dispersal opportunities for these threatened primates.
Tour guides in the region have also further strengthened the study’s findings. According to Science News, boat operators and tour guides have said that they have spotted a single male proboscis monkey hanging around a troop of female silvered leaf monkeys.
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