A remote population of frizzy-haired orangutans on the Indonesian island of Sumatra seems to be a new species of primate, scientists said.
However, the newest member of the family tree of advanced animals that include humans might not be around much longer.
Their numbers are so small, and their habitat so fragmented, that they are in danger of going extinct, the scientists who studied them said.
A study published on Thursday in the journal Current Biology said there are no more than 800 of the primates, which researchers named Pongo tapanuliensis, making it the most endangered great ape species.
The researchers said that the population is highly vulnerable and its habitat is facing further pressure from development.
“If steps are not taken quickly to reduce current and future threats to conserve every last remaining bit of forest we may see the discovery and extinction of a great ape species within our lifetime,” they said.
It was the first great ape species to be proposed by scientists in nearly 90 years. Previously, science has recognized six great ape species: Sumatran and Bornean orangutans, eastern and western gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos.
The research is based on analysis of the skeleton of an adult male killed in a conflict with villagers, a genetic study indicating the population’s evolutionary split from other orangutans occurred about 3.4 million years ago and analysis since 2006 of behavioral and habitat differences.
The primates are confined to a range of about 1,100km2 in the Batang Toru forest in the Tapanuli districts of northern Sumatra.
Historically, the population has probably been isolated from Sumatran orangutans further north for 10,000 to 20,000 years based on the most recently detectable influx of male genes from outside, the genetic study showed.
Aside from genetic evidence and the physical differences that are most apparent in comparison with Bornean orangutans, other unique characteristics include diet, restriction of habitat to upland areas and the male’s long call.
Primatologist Russell Mittermeier, head of the primate specialist group at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), called the finding a “remarkable discovery” that puts the onus on the Indonesian government to ensure the species survives.
Mittermeier, who was not one of the 37 authors of the study, said he was “very excited” by the research.
Last year, the IUCN classified Bornean orangutans as critically endangered due to a precipitous population decline caused by destruction of their forest habitat for palm oil and pulp wood plantations.
Sumatran orangutans have been classified as critically endangered since 2008.
Matthew Nowak, one of the study’s authors, said the Tapanuli orangutans live in three pockets of forest that are separated by non-protected areas.
“For the species to be viable into the future, those three fragments need to be reconnected via forest corridors,” he said.
Additionally, the authors recommended that development plans for the region, including a hydroelectric plant, be stopped by the government.
“It is imperative that all remaining forest be protected and that a local management body works to ensure the protection of the Batang Toru ecosystem,” Novak said.
The Batang Toru orangutan population was found during a field survey by researcher Erik Meijaard in 1997 and a research station was established in the area in 2006.
It was not until 2013, when the adult male skeleton became available, that scientists realized how unique the population was, which sparked the largest genomic study of wild orangutans ever carried out to provide further evidence of a third orangutan species.
As the sun sets on another scorching Yangon day, the hot and bothered descend on the Myanmar city’s parks, the coolest place to spend an evening during yet another power blackout. A wave of exceptionally hot weather has blasted Southeast Asia this week, sending the mercury to 45°C and prompting thousands of schools to suspend in-person classes. Even before the chaos and conflict unleashed by the military’s 2021 coup, Myanmar’s creaky and outdated electricity grid struggled to keep fans whirling and air conditioners humming during the hot season. Now, infrastructure attacks and dwindling offshore gas reserves mean those who cannot afford expensive diesel
Does Argentine President Javier Milei communicate with a ghost dog whose death he refuses to accept? Forced to respond to questions about his mental health, the president’s office has lashed out at “disrespectful” speculation. Twice this week, presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni was asked about Milei’s English Mastiff, Conan, said to have died seven years ago. Milei, 53, had Conan cloned, and today is believed to own four copies he refers to as “four-legged children.” Or is it five? In an interview with CNN this month, Milei referred to his five dogs, whose faces and names he had engraved on the presidential baton. Conan,
French singer Kendji Girac, who was seriously injured by a gunshot this week, wanted to “fake” his suicide to scare his partner who was threatening to leave him, prosecutors said on Thursday. The 27-year-old former winner of France’s version of The Voice was found wounded after police were called to a traveler camp in Biscarrosse on France’s southwestern coast. Girac told first responders he had accidentally shot himself while tinkering with a Colt .45 automatic pistol he had bought at a junk shop, a source said. On Thursday, regional prosecutor Olivier Janson said, citing the singer, that he wanted to “fake” his suicide
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his pledge to replace India’s religion-based marriage and inheritance laws with a uniform civil code if he returns to office for a third term, a move that some minority groups have opposed. In an interview with the Times of India listing his agenda, Modi said his government would push for making the code a reality. “It is clear that separate laws for communities are detrimental to the health of society,” he said in the interview published yesterday. “We cannot be a nation where one community is progressing with the support of the Constitution while the other