Prime-ate Discovery

Kipunji monkey high in the trees ©WCS/Tim Davenport

WCS researchers knew it was an unusual find, but they had no idea how unusual. Their discovery: a long-haired monkey with a whiskery face, shy temperament, and unique “honk bark” living high in the trees of Tanzania’s Mt. Rungwe. At the time of their discovery, they believed it to be related to the mangabeys, forest-dwelling African primates found near the equator.

But a year after the species was described, the results of a recent genetic study published in the journal Science have revealed that the animal is so unique, it represents a new genus—the first one for monkeys since 1927, when Allen’s swamp monkey was discovered. The new genus, Rungwecebus, (pronounced rung-way-CEE-bus) refers to the mountain habitat where scientists discovered the new monkey. The animal stands about 3 feet tall and its long coat is likely an adaptation to living at heights of up to 8,000 feet, where temperatures can fall below freezing. Perhaps 500 of its kind remain in the wild.

“The discovery of a new primate species is an amazing event, but the discovery of a new genus makes this animal a true conservation celebrity,” said Dr. Tim Davenport, WCS conservationist and lead author of the study.. “The scientific community has been waiting for eight decades for this to happen, and now we must we move fast to protect it.”

The monkey, known locally as a “kipunji” (pronounced kip-oon-jee), is restricted to the Highlands region of Tanzania, an area severely threatened by illegal logging and hunting. To protect this unique landscape from further degradation, WCS is calling for action from the world community. WCS has set up a website dedicated to the protection of the species:www.kipunji.org.

“It would be the ultimate irony to lose a species this unique so soon after we have discovered it,” said noted primatologist Dr. John G. Robinson director of WCS’s International Programs. “This is a world treasure and as such, we urge the world community to protect it.”

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