Photos of white-cheeked macaques. (Internet photo)
Chinese experts claim to have discovered a new species of macaque and now the race is on to protect it.
The new monkey species–found in southeast Tibet's Modog county–has been named the white-cheeked macaque.
Although the discovery was only published last month on the website of American Journal of Primatology, experts say it is already feeling the stress of human encroachment and activities.
Chinese wildlife photographer Li Cheng first identified the new species after he heard its call in the woods in 2012.
"It was a high-pitched 'Yi-ou'–I had never heard such a call from a macaque before," Li recalls. However, the group of around 10 macaques vanished into the woods before he could make them out.
In October 2013, Li joined a field survey of wild species in Tibet. He set 31 cameras in the primeval forest in Modog. Motion sensors triggered the cameras to take three images and a 15-second video each time they detected movement.
Half a year later, he had 738 photos and more than 100 videos of the "special macaques" of Modog.
In December 2014, Fan Pengfei, an associate professor of primate studies in Dali University, and Zhao Chao, a researcher at Southwest Forestry University, both claimed to have seen the "special macaques" in Modog.READ MORE-http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20150425000014&cid=1104
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