Camera traps have caught a newly described howler monkey species using howler monkey rope bridges built by conservationists in Brazil. Scientists had not yet named this species.
Wildlife discoveries like this often depend on patient field monitoring, the same kind of close observation that exposes hidden invasive species in urban waterways. Exploring Invasive Species in the Thames with Barny Dillarstone shows what careful watching can reveal.
Newly described species usually fall into one of two groups. Some look almost identical to known species and can only be separated through lengthy genetic analysis. Others live in remote areas in such small numbers that no researcher has ever recorded them.
The second group is the more worrying one. A species that stays hidden for a long time often has very few individuals left. This howler monkey fits that pattern, but it also has an unusual advantage: conservation work was already underway before anyone formally described it.
Thousands of photos reveal a new howler
National Geographic explains how the species, Alouatta matogrossensis, turned up in thousands of camera-trap images. The magazine also includes a short video clip of the monkeys on the bridges.
How howler monkey rope bridges help
Projeto Reconecta builds rope bridges across dangerous and busy areas in Brazil. These bridges let monkeys climb across roads and other hazards without coming to ground. Camera traps placed along them give scientists a steady stream of data. Most of the animals in those photos belong to well-known species, including capuchins and titi monkeys.
Researchers were surprised when Alouatta matogrossensis appeared among them.
“We were all amazed that we were providing safe crossing opportunities for a new monkey species,” said Fernanda Abra, an ecologist, National Geographic Explorer and leader of Projeto Reconecta.
An international team of scientists published their findings in Communications Biology. Romina Batista, an evolutionary biologist at the National Institute of Amazonian Research and a study co-author, described the images as “super important.”
A species at risk
The bridges are good news for the monkeys, but the outlook is grim. Jean Boubli, a primatologist, explorer and study co-author, says the animals are likely in “grave danger.”
“They’re found in a place where the forest is at its worst shape in the whole of Brazil,” Boubli said.
Abra points to expanding towns and farmland as the main pressures. “The cities are getting bigger, so there is more agriculture, agriculture fields, cars everywhere,” she said. National Geographic reports that this growth raises the risk of primates being struck and killed by vehicles.
Boubli says Alouatta matogrossensis is either “endangered or critically endangered.”
Boubli has spent 30 years exploring the Amazon and studying primates. He says the region’s biodiversity still surprises him. Researchers have identified 16 howler monkey species so far. That count includes a second species detailed in the new study.
Abra’s bridges have now supported three recently discovered monkey species, part of a wider effort to keep rope bridges brazil forests can rely on. These include the endangered Alta Floresta titi monkey, described in 2019, and Schneider’s marmoset, discovered in 2021. The new howler monkey is the third.
Crossings built for animals are proving their worth well beyond Brazil, and a highway structure in Colorado has sharply reduced wildlife deaths. Colorado’s Expansive Wildlife Bridge Cuts Animal Collisions is a useful comparison for anyone interested in how these bridges work.
Which species will be the next to find a way across Abra’s bridges?
H/T petapixel.com
Frequently asked questions
What is the newly named howler monkey species called?
The newly described howler monkey is called Alouatta matogrossensis. Camera traps caught it using rope bridges built by conservationists in Brazil.
Who builds the rope bridges for howler monkeys in Brazil?
Projeto Reconecta builds rope bridges across dangerous and busy areas in Brazil. The bridges let monkeys climb across roads and other hazards without coming down to the ground.
What is threatening the newly described howler monkey species?
Expanding towns and farmland are the main pressures on the species. Growing cities also raise the risk of primates being struck and killed by vehicles.
How endangered is the new howler monkey species?
Primatologist Jean Boubli says the species is either endangered or critically endangered. He also says the animals are likely in grave danger.
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