Ape versus machine: Do primates enjoy computer games?

A chimp genius can complete a computer memory test in less time than it takes the average person to blink - and much faster than any human rival. But do the world's cleverest animals enjoy these cognitive tasks?

Ayumu, who was born and raised in Japan's Kyoto University, can remember the location and order of a set of numbers in record time. Sixty milliseconds to be precise.

Of course, it is not "natural" behaviour for a chimp to interact with a computer screen, but scientists suggest this type of task could be good for captive apes.

"Unfortunately, captive great apes often exhibit behavioural signs of boredom, frustration and stress," says Fay Clark from the Royal Veterinary College's Centre for Animal Welfare.

Working with the Zoological Society of London, Ms Clark has recently published a review of research investigating whether challenges that get captive apes thinking can enhance their well-being.

"If an ape does not receive enough cognitive challenge in life, this can lead to abnormal behaviours or a lack of interest in the environment," she tells BBC Nature.

"The key is for scientists to develop challenges which are relevant, motivating, and ultimately solvable if they are going to be used as enrichment."

Read on:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/16832378

New Primate Species Discovered On Madagascar

ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2012) — A Malagasy-German research team has discovered a new primate species in the Sahafina Forest in eastern Madagascar, a forest that has not been studied before. The name of the new species is Gerp's mouse lemur (Microcebus gerpi), chosen to honour the Malagasy research group GERP (Groupe d'Étude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar). Several researchers of GERP have visited the Sahafina Forest in 2008 and 2009 to create an inventory the local lemurs.

They captured several mouse lemurs, measured them, took photos and small biopsies for genetic studies, and released them again. Prof. Ute Radespiel, Institute of Zoology of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, analysed the samples and the morphological dataset, and confirmed that the animals from the Sahafina Forest belong to an undescribed species of the small nocturnal mouse lemurs.

„We were quite surprised by these findings. The Sahafina Forest is only 50km away from the Mantadia National Park in eastern Madagascar, which contains a different and much smaller species, the Goodman's mouse lemur," commented Prof. Radespiel. In contrast, the Gerp's mouse lemur belongs to the group of larger mouse lemurs, i.e. has a body mass of about 68g, and is therefore almost "a giant" compared to the Goodman's mouse lemur (ca. 44g body mass).

The distribution of the Gerp's mouse lemur is probably restricted to the remaining fragments of lowland evergreen rain forest of this region in eastern Madagascar. Continuing deforestation poses a serious threat for these animals. The researchers from Hanover/Germany, and Madagascar published their discovery together in the journal Primates.

Read more at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120107151247.htm

Primates leapt to social living

Scientists may be a step closer to understanding the origins of human social behaviour.

An analysis of over 200 primate species by a University of Oxford team suggests that our ancestors gave up their solitary existence when they shifted from being nocturnal creatures to those that are active during the day.

It is likely communal living was adopted to protect against day time predators, the researchers say.

The results are published in Nature.
From work on social insects and birds, some biologists have suggested that social groups begin to form when young do not leave their natal ground, but instead hang around and help raise their siblings.

Now, the latest evidence from primates suggests that this might not have been the case for our ancestors.

Leaping to sociality By looking at whether closely related species share similar social structures, the Oxford team of evolutionary biologists shows that a common history is important in shaping the way animals behave in a group.
By Jennifer Carpenter Science reporter, BBC News

Read more ...

The Origin of Malaria: The Hunt Continues

ScienceDaily (July 22, 2011) — The agent of malaria has been found in the greater spot-nosed monkey, also known as putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans), a small African primate derived from a line different to that of humans, gorillas and chimpanzees. This discovery challenges current thinking on the origin of the parasite and introduces a key element in the fight against malaria: knowing how it has adapted to the human species will make it possible to target its weaknesses.

This work stems from research carried out by CNRS researchers in association with other organizations(1) and is published on the 4 July 2011 in the journal PNAS.


Malaria, also known as paludism, is one of the greatest global scourges. This pathology, which causes a million human deaths each year, is especially rampant in Africa. The question of whether the primary infection originated from rodents or birds has long remained unanswered. Also found in gorillas, it was thought that the parasite was specific to hominids(2).

By working on the subject, a team of CNRS researchers headed by Franck Prugnolle and François Renaud of the Laboratoire MIVEGEC(1)(CNRS/IRD/Université Montpellier 1), jointly with the Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville in Gabon, and in collaboration with other organizations(4), has demonstrated the presence of Plasmodium falciparum, the agent of malaria, in the greater spot-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans), a small African monkey derived from a line different to that of humans. The origin of the parasite probably predates the origins of the African hominids line.

The presence of Plasmodium falciparum in this Old World Monkey opens the way to the analysis of the genome of the parasite found in this species. Comparing its sequence with that (already known) of falciparum in humans will enable researchers to discover the molecular signatures of the human parasite and to find out how it has adapted to humans. Knowing the weaknesses of the parasite will be a major asset in combating malaria.

(1)Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville au Gabon, IRD, Université Montpellier 1, Université de la Méditerranée, Université de Toulouse, University of California and Université de Brazzaville.

(2)The hominids line comprises two branches: humans and large monkeys (gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans).

(3)Laboratoire "Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle"

(4)Université de la Méditerranée, Université de Toulouse, University of California and Université de Brazzaville.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110722130301.htm

Aging Rates, Gender Gap in Mortality Similar Across All Primates

ScienceDaily (Mar. 10, 2011) — Humans aren't the only ones who grow old gracefully, says a new study of primate aging patterns.

For a long time it was thought that humans, with our relatively long life spans and access to modern medicine, aged more slowly than other animals. Early comparisons with rats, mice, and other short-lived creatures confirmed the hunch. But now, the first-ever multi-species comparison of human aging patterns with those in chimps, gorillas, and other primates suggests the pace of human aging may not be so unique after all.
The findings appear in the March 11 issue of Science.

You don't need to read obituaries or sell life insurance to know that death and disease become more common as we transition from middle age to old age. But scientists studying creatures from mice to fruit flies long assumed the aging clock ticked more slowly for humans.

We had good reason to think human aging was unique, said co-author Anne Bronikowski, an associate professor at Iowa State University. For one, humans live longer than many animals. There are some exceptions -- parrots, seabirds, clams and tortoises can all outlive us -- but humans stand out as the longest-lived primates.

"Humans live for many more years past our reproductive prime," Bronikowski said. "If we were like other mammals, we would start dying fairly rapidly after we reach mid-life. But we don't," she said.

"There's been this argument in the scientific literature for a long time that human aging was unique, but we didn't have data on aging in wild primates besides chimps until recently," said co-author Susan Alberts, associate director at the NSF-funded National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham, N.C., and a biologist at Duke University.

The researchers combined data from long-term studies of seven species of wild primates: capuchin monkeys from Costa Rica, muriqui monkeys from Brazil, baboons and blue monkeys from Kenya, chimpanzees from Tanzania, gorillas from Rwanda, and sifaka lemurs from Madagascar.

The team focused not on the inevitable decline in health or fertility that come with advancing age, but rather on the risk of dying. When they compared human aging rates -- measured as the rate at which mortality risk increases with age -- to similar data for nearly 3,000 individual monkeys, apes and lemurs, the human data fell neatly within the primate continuum.

"Human patterns are not strikingly different, even though wild primates experience sources of mortality from which humans may be protected," the authors wrote in a letter to Science.

The results also confirm a pattern observed in humans and elsewhere in the animal kingdom: as males age, they die sooner than their female counterparts. In primates, the mortality gap between males and females is narrowest for the species with the least amount of male-male aggression -- a monkey called the muriqui -- the researchers report.

"Muriquis are the only species in our sample in which males do not compete overtly with one another for access to mates," said co-author Karen Strier, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin who has studied muriquis since 1982. The results suggest the reason why males of other species die faster than females may be the stress and strain of competition, the authors said.

Do the findings have any practical implications for humans? Modern medicine is helping humans live longer than ever before, the researchers note.

"Yet we still don't know what governs maximum life span," Alberts said. "Some human studies suggest we might be able to live a lot longer than we do now. Looking to other primates to understand where we are and aren't flexible in our aging will help answer that question."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110310141427.htm

PETA honors Guayama mayor for saving monkeys

Bioculture can’t take primates away from home now

March 1, 2011
by Peggy Ann Bliss

When Glorimari Jaime Rodríguez, mayor of Guayama, approved two historic ordinances prohibiting the exportation, breeding and use of monkeys for experiments in her city she put an effective end to the plans of Bioculture Puerto Rico, Inc., to capture more than 4,000 monkeys from the island of Mauritius, confine them cruelly in cages, force them to reproduce in Guayama and sell their progeny to foreign laboratoris to use in painful and lethal experiments. For this effort Mayor Jaime will be honored with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Compassion Award.

"Mayor Jaime knows that Bioculture's plans would have been disastrous for her community and for the animals," said Kathy Guillermo, vice president of PETA's lab research division.

"Thanks to her, there apparently will be no legal road for Bioculture to take the monkeys away from their home in the jungle, raise them in Guayama and sell their offspring to laboratories for cruel experiments."

In addition to the Guayama legislation, last year the Puerto Rico Senate approved a resolution sponsored by Sen. Melinda Romero Donnelly,urging government agencies of the United States to "deny [to Bioculture] any request for a license to import monkeys to Puerto Rico."

The island legislature had simultaneously submitted bills to make it impossible for any other municipality to open its doors to doing business with Bioculture. However, the question could be moot if their importation could be blocked completely.

Animal advocates had complained that in Mauritius, babies were forcefully taken from their mothers before the natural weaning process, causing extreme anxiety and stress. They also point out that while the tests on the animals are not always painful or fatal, monkeys are social animals who cannot survive caging for years. It was also noted that when the testing is completed, the animals usually have nowhere to go and must be euthanized. For more information or to see the prize awarded to Guayama's mayor, visit the Web at PETA.org or the PETA blog.

http://www.prdailysun.com/news/PETA-honors-Guayama-mayor-for-saving-monkeys

Monkey Fossils Suggest Primates Came Out of Asia, Not Africa

The discovery of four ancient, palm-sized primates in what is now Libya suggests the human family tree’s taproot is in the Middle East, not Africa.


The conventional narrative of primate development places the origins of anthropoids — monkeys and apes, including humans — in Africa. Some paleontologists, however, think Asia is the more likely cradle for that ur-primate, or what Christopher Beard has called the “Dawn Monkey.”

Beard, a paleontologist at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, is among the co-authors of the paper describing the new primates, published October 28 in Nature. The four species’ fossils, representing three distinct taxonomic families, are 40 million years old. Nothing similar was known to have lived in Africa at that time.

The diversity and timing of the new anthropoids raises two scenarios. Anthropoids might simply have emerged in Africa much earlier than thought, and gone undiscovered by modern paleontologists. Or they could have crossed over from Asia, where evidence suggests that anthropoids lived 55 million years ago, flourishing and diversifying in the wide-open ecological niches of an anthropoid-free Africa.

That humans may trace their evolutionary lineage to creatures like the newly discovered anthropoids, which likely weighed between four ounces and one pound and could sit comfortably in your hand, is an intriguing possibility. But other paleontologists warn that more investigation is required.

“These discoveries are exciting and very informative,” said Stony Brook University paleoanthropologist William Jungers, who was not involved in the study. But “more than anything else, these discoveries indicate that we still have a lot to learn.”

Citation: “Late middle Eocene epoch of Libya yields earliest known radiation of African anthropoids.” By Jean-Jacques Jaeger, K. Christopher Beard, Yaowalak Chaimanee, Mustafa Salem, Mouloud Benammi, Osama Hlal, Pauline Coster, Awad A. Bilal, Philippe Duringer, Mathieu Schuster, Xavier Valentin, Bernard Marandat, Laurent Marivaux, Eddy Metais, Omar Hammuda & Michel Brunet. Nature, Vol. 467 No. 1095, October 28, 2010.

Monkey Fossils Suggest Primates Came Out of Asia, Not Africa

The discovery of four ancient, palm-sized primates in what is now Libya suggests the human family tree’s taproot is in the Middle East, not Africa.


The conventional narrative of primate development places the origins of anthropoids — monkeys and apes, including humans — in Africa. Some paleontologists, however, think Asia is the more likely cradle for that ur-primate, or what Christopher Beard has called the “Dawn Monkey.”

Beard, a paleontologist at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, is among the co-authors of the paper describing the new primates, published October 28 in Nature. The four species’ fossils, representing three distinct taxonomic families, are 40 million years old. Nothing similar was known to have lived in Africa at that time.

The diversity and timing of the new anthropoids raises two scenarios. Anthropoids might simply have emerged in Africa much earlier than thought, and gone undiscovered by modern paleontologists. Or they could have crossed over from Asia, where evidence suggests that anthropoids lived 55 million years ago, flourishing and diversifying in the wide-open ecological niches of an anthropoid-free Africa.

That humans may trace their evolutionary lineage to creatures like the newly discovered anthropoids, which likely weighed between four ounces and one pound and could sit comfortably in your hand, is an intriguing possibility. But other paleontologists warn that more investigation is required.

“These discoveries are exciting and very informative,” said Stony Brook University paleoanthropologist William Jungers, who was not involved in the study. But “more than anything else, these discoveries indicate that we still have a lot to learn.”

Citation: “Late middle Eocene epoch of Libya yields earliest known radiation of African anthropoids.” By Jean-Jacques Jaeger, K. Christopher Beard, Yaowalak Chaimanee, Mustafa Salem, Mouloud Benammi, Osama Hlal, Pauline Coster, Awad A. Bilal, Philippe Duringer, Mathieu Schuster, Xavier Valentin, Bernard Marandat, Laurent Marivaux, Eddy Metais, Omar Hammuda & Michel Brunet. Nature, Vol. 467 No. 1095, October 28, 2010.

EL AL Israel Airlines stops transporting monkeys for research

The BUAV welcomes the decision made by EL AL Israel Airlines to stop transporting primates destined for the research industry.

The BUAV and the Israel animal group, Behind Closed Doors, have worked together to achieve this important development. For many years EL AL Airlines has been a key transporter of primates because of Mazor Farm (BFC Israel), a company based in Israel that breeds and supplies long-tailed macaques for the international research industry, including the UK.

Only last year the BUAV obtained documentation to show that EL AL had also started to transport shipments of monkeys, including the offspring of wild-caught individuals, from Mazor Farm to the USA. Mazor Farm, a satellite company of Bioculture in Mauritius, imports wild-caught monkeys from Mauritius each year for breeding purposes and also exports large numbers of monkeys to Europe, including the UK.

This decision by EL AL is yet another blow for Bioculture, the Mauritius based primate supply company. The BUAV's recent investigation into the primate trade on Mauritius, which revealed the cruelty and suffering
inflicted on monkeys, has resulted in international media coverage and attention.

In addition to this, last week the Senate in Puerto Rico approved a resolution that opposes the construction of a Bioculture breeding farm to supply monkeys to the US research industry.

Thanks to the BUAV's international campaign to stop airlines transporting monkeys destined for research, many of the world's major carriers are now no longer involved in this cruel trade. EL AL will now join the BUAV's growing list of airlines that refuse to be associated with the primate trade.

For further information about the BUAV:
http://www.buav.org/our-campaigns/primate-campaign/primate-cargo-cruelty/

For further information about Behind Closed Doors:
http://www.invitro.org.il/node/109
http://www.buav.org/article/572/el-al-israel-airlines-stops-transporting-monkeys-for-research

EL AL Israel Airlines stops transporting monkeys for research

The BUAV welcomes the decision made by EL AL Israel Airlines to stop transporting primates destined for the research industry.

The BUAV and the Israel animal group, Behind Closed Doors, have worked together to achieve this important development. For many years EL AL Airlines has been a key transporter of primates because of Mazor Farm (BFC Israel), a company based in Israel that breeds and supplies long-tailed macaques for the international research industry, including the UK.

Only last year the BUAV obtained documentation to show that EL AL had also started to transport shipments of monkeys, including the offspring of wild-caught individuals, from Mazor Farm to the USA. Mazor Farm, a satellite company of Bioculture in Mauritius, imports wild-caught monkeys from Mauritius each year for breeding purposes and also exports large numbers of monkeys to Europe, including the UK.

This decision by EL AL is yet another blow for Bioculture, the Mauritius based primate supply company. The BUAV's recent investigation into the primate trade on Mauritius, which revealed the cruelty and suffering
inflicted on monkeys, has resulted in international media coverage and attention.

In addition to this, last week the Senate in Puerto Rico approved a resolution that opposes the construction of a Bioculture breeding farm to supply monkeys to the US research industry.

Thanks to the BUAV's international campaign to stop airlines transporting monkeys destined for research, many of the world's major carriers are now no longer involved in this cruel trade. EL AL will now join the BUAV's growing list of airlines that refuse to be associated with the primate trade.

For further information about the BUAV:
http://www.buav.org/our-campaigns/primate-campaign/primate-cargo-cruelty/

For further information about Behind Closed Doors:
http://www.invitro.org.il/node/109
http://www.buav.org/article/572/el-al-israel-airlines-stops-transporting-monkeys-for-research

Scientists discover new species of monkey hidden deep in Amazon rain forest

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:01 AM on 13th August 2010

Scientists have discovered a new species of Amazon monkey species in Colombia, which they say is at risk as its home is gradually destroyed.

A team of researchers from the National University of Colombia observed 13 groups of the new species - dubbed the Caqueta titi monkey because it was found in the southern state of Caqueta, near Peru.

The new variety of titi monkey, which has the scientific name Callicebus caquetensis, is the size of a cat and has greyish-brown hair. What sets it apart from other types of titi monkey species is its lack of a white bar on the forehead.

The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Primate Conservation, believe the species may be critically endangered.

They estimate less than 250 of the monkeys exist and say the felling of forest for agriculture threatens their habitat.

'It's a spectacular finding,' said Jeffrey French, a biology and psychology professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha who works with primates in the Amazon in Brazil.

Some formerly rebel-held regions of Colombia became safer in recent years due to the government's gains against guerrilla bands, facilitating efforts to search for oil and precious metals as well as flora and fauna.

The find was announced by Conservation International, a group that helped finance the research in remote rain forests that until recently were considered too dangerous for scientific work due to the presence of leftist rebels.

The research team, including professors Thomas Defler and Marta Bueno and student Javier Garcia, visited Caqueta in 2008 - three decades after Martin Moynihan, an animal behaviour expert, first caught sight of the species in the area.

Insecurity in the area prevented research to confirm his sighting until the team arrived.

The researchers said the monkeys are monogamous - unlike most primates but common among titi monkeys - and often have one baby a year. They have complex calls and were spotted often moving around in groups of four.

Juan Mayer, a former Colombian environment minister, said that due to deforestation, 'huge efforts will have to be made to protect the creature's habitat'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1302768/Scientists-discover-new-species-monkey-Amazon-rain-forest.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0wUzvzlUr

New species of monkey with red, bushy beard found in Amazon rainforest

Washington, Aug 13 : A new species of monkey with a red, bushy beard has been discovered in the Colombian section of the Amazon rain forest, say conservationists.

A scientist first glimpsed Callicebus caquetensis-a type of titi monkey-in the 1960s.

But political strife in the southern Caqueta Province kept scientists away until 2008, when an expedition finally confirmed the bearded monkey as a new species, reports National Geographic News.

The cat-size primate is "fascinating" because it mates for life, an unusual trait among monkeys, said expedition leader Thomas Defler of the National University of Colombia.

Pairs are often spotted sitting on branches with their tails intertwined.

A typical Caqueta titi couple has a baby every year, and the father handles most of the infant''s care, other than nursing, Defler noted.

It''s unknown why the dad does most of the work, but there''s likely an evolutionary advantage, he said.

The newfound Caqueta titi monkey is being forced to travel on the ground more often as Amazon rain forest habitat becomes more and more fragmented by expanding Colombian cattle country, Defler said.

Increased ground travel may make the species more vulnerable to predators, such as margay cats and birds of prey, he said.

It''s estimated that fewer than 250 Caqueta titi monkeys survive-which means the International Union for Conservation of Nature will likely classify the primate as critically endangered, he added.

The details appeared online on the journal Primate Conservation.

http://www.newkerala.com/news2/fullnews-19854.html

Monkey adopts toad

02 August 2010 16:30 GMT

A monkey living in a British zoo tried to adopt a pet toad.

Swoozie - who lives at Paignton Zoo in Devon, England - astounded visitors as it played with the amphibian for hours in her enclosure, even trying to warm it up and cuddling it like a baby.

Sheila Hassanein, who was enjoying a day out at the zoo, said: "The monkey was trying to shield it from view, she was treating it as if it was her baby and she was trying to protect it.

"She was rubbing it as if she was trying to warm it up, but of course it's a cold-blooded reptile. It was very strange."

However, the seven-year-old female's plans for a new friend were short lived, when the slippery toad eventually managed to escape.

http://entertainment.stv.tv/showbiz/189664-monkey-adopts-toad/

Lemurs back behind bars after crime spree

22 July 2010, 10:58

Two escaped lemurs have been returned to an Austrian zoo after embarking on a week-long crime spree.

The duo hot-footed it from Salzburg's Hellbrunn Zoo by dashing out of the door when their keeper walked in.

CEN reports that they celebrated their freedom by attacking local residents' washing lines, turning over garden furniture, stealing fruit and harassing domestic pets, before winding up in a hotel bar.

Hotel manager Andreas Hasenohrl said: "I couldn't believe it when I came in for work in the morning. It looked like they were looking for something to drink.

"They were playing with the bottles, but I gave them a banana instead and quickly shut all the doors and windows."

Keepers were then able to recapture the law-breaking primates, and have since renamed them King Julien and Maurice, after the ruler of the lemurs and his trusty sidekick in the film Madagascar.

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Lemurs_back_behind_bars_after_crime_spree

Horton Plains Slender Loris pictured for first time

One of the world’s rarest primates driven to the brink of extinction by Britain's taste for tea has been photographed for the first time, scientists said.

By Andrew Hough
Published: 8:00AM BST 19 Jul 2010

The Horton Plains slender loris has been so elusive for more than 60 years scientists believed the wide-eyed mammal had become extinct.

It had only been seen four times since 1937 but was fleetingly spotted in 2002 by researchers who identified it by the reflection of a light shone in its eyes.

Experts believe the prime reason for its rarity was due to the loss of its natural forest habitat largely destroyed by the drive to create tea plantations.

Now scientists from the Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) edge of existence programme have managed to capture the world's first pictures of the rare animal during research aimed at quantifying how many species remain in the wild.

The picture of the endangered mammal shows an adult male Horton Plains slender loris, characterised by short limbs and long dense fur, sitting on a forest branch.

It was captured after more than 1,000 night time surveys in Sri Lankan forests taken during 200 hours of painstaking work.

The team not only took pictures of the animal but also captured three live specimens long enough to measure them.

"We are thrilled to have captured the first ever photographs and prove its continued existence - especially after its 65-year disappearing act,” said Dr Craig Turner, a ZSL conservation biologist.

Slender lorises, officially known as Loris tardigradus nycticeboides, are small nocturnal primates which are only found in the tropical forests of southern India and Sri Lanka.

They are about 6-10 inches long (15cm-25cm) and have large saucer-like eyes which help their night-time hunting.

Estimates suggest there are just 100 of the endangered creatures left in the wild, putting it among the world's top five most threatened primates.

But researchers admitted that so little was known about them that numbers could in fact be below 60, which would make them one of the rarest breeds in the world.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7897057/Horton-Plains-Slender-Loris-pictured-for-first-time.html

Extinct primate found

19 July 2010 16:30 GMT

A primate thought to be extinct has been found in Sri Lanka.

The Horton Plains Slender Loris had barely been seen in over 70 years, with only four sightings since 1937, leading scientists to conclude it had died out.

However, the wide-eyed creature was captured on camera by researchers from the Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) edge of existence programme after over 1,000 night time surveys in several Sri Lankan forests.

Three live specimens were also captured so the team could measure them and take other information.

Dr. Craig Turner, a ZSL conservation biologist, said: "We are thrilled to have captured the first ever photographs and prove its continued existence - especially after its disappearing act."

Despite the incredible discovery, it is still estimated that there are only between 100 and 60 of the nocturnal creatures left in the wild, making them one of the rarest species in the world.

Slender Lorises are only found in the tropical forests of southern India and Sri Lanka and grow to a maximum of between 6-10ins long.

http://entertainment.stv.tv/showbiz/187519-extinct-primate-found/

Scientists: 'Monkeys like TV'

16 June 2010

Scientists in Japan have published a new study which they say proves that monkeys like watching television.

A three-year-old male rhesus macaque enjoyed a video of a circus elephant, giraffe and tiger performing, according to scientists from 1 University's Primate Research Institute.

Scientists used a technique called near-infrared spectroscopy to examine various aspects of the blood flow to the brain of the monkey while it was watching the television images.

The study found that when the monkey was witnessing the acrobatic performances of circus animals on a television screen, the frontal lobe area of its brain became vigorously active.

The activity in such an area was significant in reflecting the monkey's pleasure, as the human equivalent is a neurological area associated with triggering delight in a baby when it sees the smile of its mother.

The study, published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, the Swiss online scientific journal, reflects the latest parallels between the physiological make-up of monkeys and humans.

Previous studies have revealed how monkeys learn in a similar way to humans, in terms of how they acquire and store information.

Another recent study conducted by scientists at the same Kyoto University institute showed how mother monkeys teaching their young how to floss their teeth in a similar way to humans.

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Scientists_Monkeys_like_TV

Endangered Tiger Found In Man's Freezer

11:14am UK, Monday June 14, 2010
Julia Reid, Sky News Online

A tiger, several turtles, a monkey and the remains of a chimpanzee have been discovered in a household freezer.

Police found the dead animals in a raid on a suburban house in Coventry and have arrested a 52-year-old man.

Alan Dudley has been charged with 10 offences relating to illegal trade in endangered animals.

West Midlands Police and Custom and Excise investigators also uncovered the skulls of a baby seal and penguin alongside lemurs, sparrowhawks, buzzards and owls during the raid.

Some of the animals had allegedly been bought on the internet auction site eBay.

Tigers are among the most endangered animals in the world and are a common target for poachers.

Their skins are used for rugs and wall hangings, while their bones, whiskers, and eyeballs are used in traditional Asian medicines.

They can grow up to 11ft long and can weigh up to 47 stone.

The loggerhead turtles found by police are also facing extinction due to loss of habitat and pollution.

Mr Dudley faces one count of purchasing specimens, two of offering a prohibited specimen for sale, two of offering to buy a prohibited specimen, one of keeping prohibited specimens for sale, and four further charges under Customs and Excise breaches.

He will appear at Coventry Crown Court in July.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Tiger-Found-In-Freezer-Police-Raid-In-Coventry-Uncovers-Dead-Animals---Alan-Dudley-Charged/Article/201006215648807

Resident spots squirrel monkey in Pelican Bay

By MATT CLARK
Posted April 19, 2010 at 4:04 p.m.

NAPLES — Be on the lookout for the monkey in Pelican Bay.

He may be furry, fluffy and friendly, but he also may be harboring diseases that could cause serious illness or death to humans.

DeeDee Ream may have been the first to spot him. It was Saturday, dinner was being prepared and Ream heard a strange noise coming from the backyard. She went to investigate, noticed a cardinal, then scanned the treeline.

“It’s a monkey,” Ream yelled to her friends gathered in the home.

The squirrel monkey, a non-native species with a history in Naples, was clinging to a palm tree.

For years, several of the monkeys — possibly a troop — have been spotted in and around the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, including at Naples High School and the Collier Athletic Club.

“Typically they do occupy a certain territory,” said Troy Frensley, Conservancy education director.

“It makes me suspect that potentially it was a pet,” Frensley said of the monkey Ream saw. “No one knows how the ones we’ve seen around the Conservancy arrived.”

Squirrel monkeys aren’t stupid. Their brains are larger than humans, relative to their small body sizes. They were even the first U.S. astronauts.

If the monkey’s goal was to get Ream’s attention, it succeeded with aplomb. Or an apple.

After spotting the monkey and thinking it may have been someone’s lost pet, Ream went in to find some fruit.

“I know what its like when your pet goes missing,” Ream, a seasonal resident from Cleveland, said. “I thought he was somebody’s pet.”

Ream later called the Conservancy and realized her error. The monkey moved on to forage from a palm tree shortly after.

“He used us and then he left. ‘These apples are nice ladies, but I’m on to the palm tree,’” Ream said.

If the monkey is spotted, Frensley suggested calling the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for more information on how to handle the situation. The commission’s website says squirrel monkeys have been breeding in Brevard, Broward and Marion counties since as early as the 1950s and have been spotted in Collier, Dade and Polk counties since at least the 1960s.

“Some of these free-ranging monkeys were released as tourist attractions to an area,” the site said. “Other groups of this species might exist in areas of Florida besides those listed here.”

For more than a year, the FWC has been trying to trap a rhesus macaque monkey in the Tampa Bay area. According to the trapper hunting the animal, the monkey checks traffic before crossing the street, avoids power lines and escapes even after being shot with a tranquilizer dart on more than one occasion.

The Tampa Bay monkey has been featured on national television programs, and its elusive nature has captivated many, some of whom describe it as a hero. It even has a Facebook page. The commission is committed to catching it, though, saying it could be harboring diseases such as herpes or hepatitis.

“That animal is so much quicker and more powerful than people perceive,” said commission spokesman Gary Morse. “That monkey would absolutely tear an adult male up. People have no idea how fierce their bites would be.”

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/apr/19/resident-spots-squirrel-monkey-pelican-bay/

Hang on in there, Mum

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http://e-edition.metro.co.uk/2010/04/19/ - p27.