UM-Bot Posted November 2, 2017 #1 Share Posted November 2, 2017 Scientists studying apes in northern Sumatra have identified a small population of an entirely new species. http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/313000/new-orangutan-species-discovered-in-sumatra 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred_mc Posted November 2, 2017 #2 Share Posted November 2, 2017 Interesting that they are still finding unknown species of primates. Wonder when they are going to find yetis and sasquatches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandias Posted November 2, 2017 #3 Share Posted November 2, 2017 4 minutes ago, fred_mc said: Interesting that they are still finding unknown species of primates. Wonder when they are going to find yetis and sasquatches. No time soon. The new species of orangutan were 'hiding' in plain sight. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orphalesion Posted November 2, 2017 #4 Share Posted November 2, 2017 11 minutes ago, Ozymandias said: No time soon. The new species of orangutan were 'hiding' in plain sight. Yeah this seems like it's really more a case of "we thought these Orangutans were the same as the others, just with some variation, but after looking at the genome it turns out they are a different species" rather than "these things were never seen before! Completely new, unexpected creature!" 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnoferox Posted November 2, 2017 #5 Share Posted November 2, 2017 This isn't so much a discovery as it is a recognition. This particular population of orangutans has been known since the 30's, but they were long thought to be Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii). Only now have they been realized to be a distinct species, the Tapanuli orangutan (P. tapanuliensis). Link to the paper: http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)31245-9 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taniwha Posted November 2, 2017 #6 Share Posted November 2, 2017 How sad that it may soon be extinct 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Posted November 2, 2017 #7 Share Posted November 2, 2017 1 hour ago, Orphalesion said: Yeah this seems like it's really more a case of "we thought these Orangutans were the same as the others, just with some variation, but after looking at the genome it turns out they are a different species" rather than "these things were never seen before! Completely new, unexpected creature!" Exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paperdyer Posted November 2, 2017 #8 Share Posted November 2, 2017 1 hour ago, taniwha said: How sad that it may soon be extinct The scientists may be looking in the wrong direction. The optimist would say the species is so new that that are only around 800. Why do we always assume newly discovered species are going extinct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnoferox Posted November 2, 2017 #9 Share Posted November 2, 2017 (edited) 13 minutes ago, paperdyer said: The scientists may be looking in the wrong direction. The optimist would say the species is so new that that are only around 800. Why do we always assume newly discovered species are going extinct? The Tapanuli orangutan is in danger of going extinct. From the paper: Quote With a census size of fewer than 800 individuals, P. tapanuliensis is the least numerous of all great ape species. Its range is located around 100 km from the closest population of P. abelii to the north. A combination of small population size and geographic isolation is of particularly high conservation concern, as it may lead to inbreeding depression and threaten population persistence. Highlighting this, we discovered extensive runs of homozygosity in the genomes of both P. tapanuliensis individuals, pointing at the occurrence of recent inbreeding. To ensure long-term survival of P. tapanuliensis, conservation measures need to be implemented swiftly. Due to the rugged terrain, external threats have been primarily limited to road construction, illegal clearing of forests, hunting, killings during crop conflict, and trade in orangutans. A hydroelectric development has been proposed recently in the area of highest orangutan density, which could impact up to 8% of P. tapanuliensis’s habitat. This project might lead to further genetic impoverishment and inbreeding, as it would jeopardize chances of maintaining habitat corridors between the western and eastern range, as well as smaller nature reserves, all of which maintain small populations of P. tapanuliensis. Edited November 2, 2017 by Carnoferox 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripGun Posted November 3, 2017 #10 Share Posted November 3, 2017 It should just evolve instead of dying off. ROFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJNYC Posted November 3, 2017 #11 Share Posted November 3, 2017 That forest needs to be protected, now! Stop already with killing off our fellow earth inhabitants. I hope that someday more humans care about our planet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Monk Posted November 4, 2017 #12 Share Posted November 4, 2017 On 02/11/2017 at 5:49 PM, Ozymandias said: No time soon. The new species of orangutan were 'hiding' in plain sight. So just like Bigfoot, then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandias Posted November 4, 2017 #13 Share Posted November 4, 2017 58 minutes ago, Black Monk said: So just like Bigfoot, then. Hardly. Bigfoot definitely is not in plain sight, hidden or otherwise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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