A tiny monkey new to science has been named after the ethnic group local to to the remote Amazonian region where it was discovered.

Mura’s saddleback tamarind (saguinus fuscicollis mura) was first seen on a 2007 expedition in the Amazonas state in north-western Brazil. Newly described in the International Journal of Primatology, the 240 mm long monkey is named for the Mura Indians.

“This newly described monkey shows that even today there are still major wildlife discoveries to be made,” says Fabio Röhe of the Wildlife Conservation Society, an author of the new paper on the tamarind (press release).

“This discovery should serve as a wake-up call that there is still so much to learn from the world’s wild places, yet humans continue to threaten these areas with destruction.”

Like other saddlebacks, Mura’s has distinct mottling on its back in the shape of a saddle, hence the name. It is dwarfed by its own tail, which adds 320 mm to its length.

More

New long-tailed monkey discovered in Amazon – MSNBC

New monkey discovered in Brazilian Amazon – Reuters

Image: Stephen Nash.