Snub-nosed monkey breed discovered near Nujiang

Kunming (CNS) -- The world's fifth breed of snub-nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus Strykeri, was spotted near Nujiang in southwest China's Yunnan Province, confirmed Long Yongcheng, chief scientist at the Chinese division of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and head of its primates expert team in China, on Tuesday.

This breed of snub-nosed monkeys was first discovered in Myanmar in 2010. Chinese scientists decided to name it the Nujiang snub-nosed monkey in Chinese.

Forest guards in the Gaoligong Mountains nature preserve took pictures of a group of 60 to 80 of the furry black animals.

"Snub-nosed monkeys are completely black with a small tuft of white hair by the ears and cheeks, a unique white goatee, and a tail almost 1.4 times the length of their body. Their faces are light pink, and the perineum region white," according to Long.

The number, group features, and activity range of the new breed of snub-nosed monkeys have not yet been studied, a task which calls for more human resources and financial assistance from the government, said Long.