Rare Primate Species White Cheeked Macaque Discovered In Arunachal Pradesh

Admin 25-Apr-2016 16:12:21 Inothernews

Rare Primate Species White Cheeked Macaque Discovered In Arunachal Pradesh


A team of biologists and wildlife photographers in North East has discovered a new primate species in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district. The White Cheeked Macaque, hitherto unknown in India, was first spotted by the team last year, during a bird watching trip. However it took nearly an year for the scientific community to acknowledge that it was a new species different from the Raesus Macaque, Arunachal Macaque, Tibetan macaque and Assamese macaque normally found in the region.



The discovery was made by a team of ornithologist and associate professor of geography of Tinsukia College Ranjan Kumar Das, who was the first in the team to photograph the White Cheeked Macaque during the trip in Anjaw, bordering Tibet region of China.

"I am excited to be a part of this discovery and to contribute to the understanding of the species through my photography work," Das said.

Others felt that the new discovery could help in promoting wildlife conservation in the region. "Finding of this new macaque species enhances the prospect of biodiversity conservation in the region and gives thrust on more field studies, research and conservation initiatives,” wildlife photographer Udayan Borthakur said.

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