Malaysia’s ‘mystery hybrid monkey’ could be result of habitat loss

The emergence of a "mystery monkey", believed to be a rare hybrid of two distantly related primate, highlights the importance of protecting habit connections.

Photographs of a female monkey in Sabah, Malaysia were uploaded to social media wildlife photography groups.

Researchers looked at various photographs of the monkey and concluded that it is the offspring of a male and female proboscis monkey.

The silver langur had a nose that was not as long as that of a proboscis monkey and its skin was gray. The hair was long and dense, like that of a silver langur, and its colour was similar to a proboscis monkey.

Observers told researchers they had seen groups of people together.

The case may be related to habitat loss due to the expansion of oil palm plantations along the Kinabatangan.

Nadine Ruppert, primatologist and senior lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia, co-authored a study on an animal that was published in the International Journal of Primatology.

She said it was difficult to assess if the groups were trapped within the small fragmented habitat patch that was surrounded by river, oil palm and settlements.

She said that habitat loss and fragmentation should always be mitigated or avoided.

A previous study found that Sabah lost more than 30% of its forest area in the last 40 years.

The adult males of the proboscis monkeys could take over the harems of the silver langur if habitat degradation is to be blamed. One species might be displaced by the more dominant species in these patches of low habitat quality.

Local organizations and NGOs are working on reestablishing habitat connections. Building canopy bridges, originally designed for orangutans, and planting forest trees across the mixed oil palm plantation-forest landscape will serve as wildlife corridors, especially for elephants.

The case of the Sumatran rhino in the area shows how important habitat restoration projects are for threatened species. She said that the case should highlight the importance of habitat connections.

In September 2020 the female was photographed with an infant.