I want to wish everyone a very happy Monkey Day!
Today is the day to celebrate all things monkey, ape, and generally primate-related.
This Emperor Tamarin has his party mustache on!
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| photo from wikipedia |
We tend to celebrate Monkey Day everyday in my family, with monkey stuff hanging around the house (get it? hanging? 'cause monkeys hang in trees? get it? ...)
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| This little guy hangs on our fridge. |
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| I know King Kong is technically a great ape (very great), but I thought I'd include this painting that hangs in our dining room (painted by my husband). |
On a more serious note, today is a good day to learn about endangered species and habitats.
I'd like to introduce you to the critically endangered Tonkin snub-nosed monkey.
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| Photograph by Xi Zhinong, Minden Pictures/Corbis |
Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys have a distinctive look with a flattened face, an upturned nose, pale blue rings around the eyes, and large pink lips.
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| Credit: Nguyen Van Truong/FFI |
This species of monkey, believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in the early 1990s, is native to northern Vietnam. Like many endangered species, the population decline in the wild is due to habitat loss and hunting, and it is estimated that only 200-250 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys are left in the world. But, there is some encouraging news involving this species. A survey performed in 2013 in the Khau Ca Species and Habitat Conservation Area in the Ha Giang Province in Vietnam recorded 108-113 individuals living in the protected area, up from around 90. Hopefully, the continued protection of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey in the Khau Ca Species and Habitat Conservation Area will ensure the species' survival.
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photo from www.flora-fauna.org
http://www.fauna-flora.org/news/tonkin-snub-nosed-monkey-sighting-in-vietnam/ |
By the way, I, of course, am wearing my Monkey Day socks.
I hope you all have a fantastic Monkey Day!
