Posted 05.24.2012 at 3:24 pm
25 Comments
Sneezing Monkey
Found by scientists conducting a gibbon survey in the mountains of Myanmar, Rhinopithecus strykeri, a snubnosed primate, is critically endangered. It sneezes when rain gets inside its snout, and can be found by waiting until the weather turns and listening for sneezes in the trees.
Thomas Geissmann/Fauna & Flora International
It’s time once again to celebrate all the weird and wonderful creatures scientists have found on Earth in the past year. Arizona State University compiles an annual list of the top 10 new species found in the last 12 months, and shares the list on May 23, Carl Linnaeus’ birthday. The father of classification would no doubt be pleased with some of the names on this list — they include a mushroom named for a cartoon character, a worm named for the Devil and a jellyfish named “Oh Boy,” because that’s what people should exclaim when they behold it.
The list also includes a terrifyingly skull-looking sneezing monkey; a blue tarantula; a sausage-sized millipede; a night-blooming orchid; and much more.
Click to launch the photo gallery.
Some of the species are just plain odd, and others demonstrate how little we still know about this planet. Take the new nematode species Halicephalobus mephisto. It’s named for Faust’s demon Mephistopheles, because it lives in hellish, hot conditions in the bowels of the Earth. It was discovered in a mine in South Africa, and carbon dating suggests the worms have been living there between 3,000 and 12,000 years. The worm was a brilliant find for exobiology, because it proved that multi-celled organisms can subsist completely isolated from other complex ecosystems.
Then there are beauties like Pterinopelma sazimai, an iridescent blue hairy spider from Brazil. It’s so pretty you almost forget that it is a gigantic hairy spider.
I am particularly fond of Tamoya ohboya, a poisonous but pretty jellyfish that looks sort of like a kite with flowing, colorful tails. Citizen scientists were invited to submit names for the species and a teacher won with “ohboya,” assuming that people who see it or are stung would shout “Oh boy!”
Some strange flowers, a very large and a very small insect, and others round out the list. Check out our photo gallery for the full collection.
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Does the monkey remind anyone else of Michael Jackson?
I was going to make the exact same comment
My thoughts exactly! Must be the nose :D
The monkey looks old and wise, contemplating the COSMOS with its little twig in its mouth.
What could he be thinking about, hmmm?
..........................................
See life in all its beautiful colors, and
from different perspectives too!
I'll be the fourth to go with Michael Jackson. I'm amused and intrigued that the same association was so quickly made by others as well. Maybe the monkey can moonwalk too?
1. Saying it looks like Michael Jackson because of the nose is rude, since he is gone.
2. Any association of a monkey and minorities is completely wrong too.
I respectfully, ask you all to stop. We as a society should try to mature.
..........................................
See life in all its beautiful colors, and
from different perspectives too!
I made that comment forgetting that Michael Jackson was/is of African descent. I'd say it's more than just the nose though that brings him to mind: lips, eyes, and hair all play into it if you ask me.
Sorry space but at a thought MJ is just some white guy. And you can't be racist against us white guys.
it does look kinda like Michael Jackson... and its only offensive if your perceive it that way
@Auroria
If anything my comment is neutral in nature and I don't know maybe it could be productive/useful, something reading this might decide to do a DNA check and find out this monkey is the a descendant of the "missing link" and the Jacksons just happen to be it's closest human relative...
I just lead to a great discovery with a pointless comment.
Things don't work that way so take it as it's meant an inane and slightly amusing observation, maybe you could call it a, I don't know, comment?
He has Elvis hair..... and MJ's nose
I think he is so adorable!
I wish Mr. Darwin was about today. What in the environment that cause this little cute monkey to give up his nose and subject himself to the possibility of drowning, each time it rains. I think he is a left over monkey, hybrid that the Annunaki left, besides creating us humans.
I just do not understand, how NOT having a nose was a good induce environmental factor.
Dat a space monkey right der. You can't hide your identity from me.
He's clearly an Elvis fan too. But, then again aren't all space mammals?But, not the reptiles of Alpha Centauri; they freakin hate Elvis.
It reminds me of Al Sharpton contemplating suing Rapier for a hate crime.
Actually, If not for the snub nose, he looks more Edward G. Robinson with a white beard. Just slick his hair back. "NYAH! NYAH!" I suppose someone be hatin' on me now.
HealingMindN,
I think the point orginally was not to be hatin on you, or anyone else for that matter.
Oh, by the way, I do believe in free speech. Free speech, does have it's annoyances, while I or someone else may have an opinion that is offensive, it maybe thought as wonderful by myself and others. All these perspectives being oppositive and or differnent of that said opinion can be true at the same time, because of the variety of perspectives.
Now lets all learn to develop tolerance and give a big big hug! SQUISH! Oooo, that felt so "goooood"!
he looks like a character from star wars/
"religion is like a prison for the seekers of wisdom"
-Killah Priest
To steer a comment back into the realm of science, my initial thought was that the monkey is a genetic aberration. Some kind of mutated version of what he likely is supposed to be, since having a nose of such design seems highly impractical, especially for living in a tropical forest setting where it rains a lot. I wonder have they seen a lot of these, or was this the only one?
According to Google results, there are known to be about 300 of them, but they are hunted for their meat by the locals.
Notice how everyone commented only about the monkey and about no one else...
I mean, how do you think the wasp lays it's eggs in an ant so quickly. All of these are truly amazing creatures
It doesn't look like Michael Jackson at all. It's Bubbles.