A monkey seen in Borneo could be a rare hybrid of two species, according to a study.
Researchers said that the primate spotted near the Kinabatangan River is likely to be the offspring of a proboscis monkey and a silvery langur.
While closely related species occasionally interbreed to create a hybrid, it is rare to see it in the wild.
The two monkey species look very different from each other. Adult proboscis monkeys have brown fur and long noses, while adult silvery langurs have dark fur and flatter faces.
The hybrid monkey has similarities to both species.
The primate was first seen in photos on social media while it was still a baby. There are photos from 2020 that show the monkey is a grown woman and has a baby.
Nadine Ruppert, a primatologist at the University of Science Malaysia, told Live Science that they were all in awe. It was quite strange.
According to Live Science, most hybrid monkeys are sterile and unable to produce offspring, which adds to the mystery of this monkey and her baby.
She appeared to have swollen breasts, suggesting she was a mother.
According to Newsweek, the hybrid could be evidence of an out of balance system.
She said that seeing this hybrid is not of concern to the balance of the environment or the two species, however, it is an alarming symptom of an environment that already seems out of balance.
The males of both species will usually leave their families once they reach a certain age.
Due to habitat decline, these species are not being able to have sex, which could explain how the hybrid came to be.
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