New Species Of Titi Monkey Found In Columbian Jungles

August 16th, 2010 - 8:14 pm ICT by Pen Men At Work  

titi August 16, 2010 (Pen Men at Work): A hitherto unknown species of Titi monkey has been discovered in Columbia. Scientifically named as ‘Callicebus Caquetensis’, this creature is small, about the size of a cat and can be found in the border area between Peru and Equador. The area had been regarded as off limits for scientific researchers previously largely because they have been known to be inhabited by guerilla and armed insurgents.

Professor Thomas Defler and his team discovered the monkey while on a scientific expedition. The researcher from the Washington based Conservation International said that they had indeed heard of the monkey before but needed to assess whether it is different from the other species of titi monkeys. It is an exciting find he stated and went on to say that the rich diversity of life in the Amazon basin remains undiscovered till date.

This particular species is the fourth of its kind and is characterized by a grayish brown fur. It also has a bushy long red beard framing its face and moves with the help of a long prehensile tail which is stripped with grey coloured fur. Another astonishing fact about the titis is that they form monogamous connections and rear a single baby in a year.

Defler said that the discovery was made with the help of his student Javier Garcia who was well acquainted with the area as his father had been a veterinarian in South Caqueta, the home of the titi monkey.

The scientists found them out by locating their morning calls which may well have been used to demarcate their individual territories. GPS technology helped them in discovering 13 groups of such titis comprising of almost 250 individual creatures. The number seemed to be unusually low and the scientists feel that the grasslands and barbed wires have threatened their very existence which mean that they face the danger of becoming extinct before too long.

Jose Vicente Rodriguez, head of the Conservation International in Columbia said that the group will be proposing the creation of protected areas for rare creatures on the verge of extinction when they meet in Japan for the convention on Biological Diversity.

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