India Today
April 21, 2015
A road sign is seen in front of the Kharola glacier, west of Lhasa Tibet Autonomous Region. The Tibetan plateau, whose glaciers supply water to hundreds of millions of people in Asia, were warmer over the past 50 years than at any stage. Photo: REUTERS/Nir Elias/Files
A new species of macaque, named white-cheeked macaque, has been discovered in China’s southeast Tibet, according to the Chinese media.
According to Xinhua.net, the new monkey species, found in Tibet’s Modog County, is already under tremendous pressure from human activities close to their habitat.
The American Journal of Primatology announced the discovery last month. The report said that wildlife photographer Li Cheng had first pictured them in the forests in 2012.
“It was a high-pitched ‘Yi-ou’ – I had never heard such a call from a macaque before,” Li was quoted as saying.
From the photos, it was determined that the species was distinct from all known species of macaque. Their most distinguishing feature was the off-white fur on the cheeks.
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, the report said.
Currently, Modog, a biodiversity-rich area in the eastern Himalayan region, is the only known habitat of the white-cheeked macaque. Experts estimate their population at 500.
Widespread human activities, including developmental projects, and poaching by traditional hunting groups are some of the biggest threats to their survival in the wild.
