A group of scientists has identified a new species among the great apes: it is the Pongo tapanuliensis –also known as the Tapanuli orangutan–, and with it the number of great ape species that exist today goes from six to seven. It is the first great ape species discovered in 88 years .
Unfortunately, there are fears for their survival, since the Tapanuli, endemic to the island of Sumatra, make up a small population and are also in a very vulnerable situation, since they live in a threatened habitat. Specifically, according to the researchers, there are only about eight hundred primates of this species .
Orangutans, which are among the great apes, a group that also includes chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ), bonobos ( Pan paniscus ), and gorillas ( Gorilla beringei and Gorilla gorilla ), are among our closest relatives in the animal kingdom – with they share 97% of our DNA. Among them, until now two different species were recognized: the Bornean orangutans ( Pongo pygmaeus ) and the Sumatran ( Pongo abelii ). With this new find, there would be three.
“It is incredibly exciting to discover a new species of monkey”, acknowledged Serge Wich, professor specializing in Primate Biology at John Moores University, Liverpool (UK), and co-author of this research. He also stressed that it was a shock for the team to find such a different population when the Sumatran orangutans are only a hundred kilometers away.
Wich does not hide his greatest fears regarding the survival of this species of orangutans, which live in the forests of Batang Toru, in North Sumatra, in an area of approximately 1,000 square kilometers: “What is worrying is that these species are are under great threat: in that area there is hunting, a gold mine and they have planned (to build) a hydroelectric plant in an area where we find a very high density of this new species. “
When talking about hunting, they refer to the illegal hunting of which these great apes are victims and that has them on the brink of extinction. Also contributing to this worrying situation is deforestation caused by the action of man – who sometimes do not hesitate to start fires to gain arable land – and which leaves them without habitat and food, which leads them to death from starvation.
The bases of the study
The research has been based on the analysis of the skeleton of an adult male killed during a conflict with local villagers , a genetic study of orangutans –which indicates the evolutionary division that occurred more than three million years ago with respect to other orangutans– and a study of their differences in behavior and habitat carried out since 2006. For example, on a physical level, these Tapanuli are distinguished from other orangutans in their more frizzy hair and in their heads, which are smaller. They are also different because of their diet or because of the loud sounds that males make to announce their presence – they can be heard even from a kilometer away.
Dr. Marina Davila-Ross, from the University of Portsmouth (United Kingdom) and also a co-author of the study, published in the journal Current Biology , explained how she was surprised by the genetic, morphological and behavioral differences of the Tapanuli compared to the other orangutans of Sumatra and Borneo.
Scientists warn that if measures are not taken immediately to reduce current threats and those that may arise in the future to conserve the habitat in which these animals live, “we may see the discovery and extinction of a species of great ape in the course of our lives ” .
Image 1: Tim Laman / Wikipedia / CC
Image 2: Nater et al. / Current Biology
