Borneo, the world's third largest island (divided into three countries: Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia), has a tropical rainforest climate and was once a sea of vegetation and a paradise for animals.
Where the story begins
In Borneo, deep in the rainforest near the Kinabatangan River, trees shade the sky and green covers the land, where there is no smoke, no pollution, no roads, no people.
The insidious protagonist of this issue
However, even such a pure land that no one disturbs is not a peaceful bliss. The animal world, like us humans, lives and dies, fighting endlessly.
In this narrow rainforest, two species of monkeys with very different appearances live, namely the proboscis larvatus and the silver langur (Trachypithecus cristatus).
Proboscis monkey
These two kinds of monkeys often fight in order to grab the more fruitful territory in the habitat. Just like in Shakespeare's famous book "Romeo and Juliet", two families with feuds are fighting each other endlessly.
Silver langur
In the family of feuds, there are crystallizations of love
In the case of human beings, hate and love are two very similar feelings, with only a line between them, and they are all thoughts in the heart day and night (forgetting and indifference are the biggest decisions). We are all attracted by love and hate, which is why there is such a tragic story as Romeo and Juliet.
And this time, the proboscis monkey and the silver langur, under the struggle of these two "feuding" species, burst out of the love story is not only not a tragedy, but also a "miracle" beyond everyone's imagination - the offspring between the two species have emerged.
Ultra-rare hybrids
A new study suggests that offspring between these two different species have been found in Borneo – an ultra-rare hybrid that has the characteristics of two different species.
Even hybrids can give birth! In 2017, the hybrid monkey was first photographed as a juvenile monkey, and now it is a mature female and has a baby of its own.
It's awe-inspiring because it's very surreal: while very close species (belonging to the same evolutionary group or genus) occasionally cross to create hybrids in the wild, this time, there are almost two species of monkeys that are not comparable. Also, different species do not usually produce viable offspring if mated.
It's not so much a miracle as it is: facts are usually more unexpected and funny than barren imaginations.
Two species with huge differences
It's not just hatred of each other that stands in their way. According to taxonomy, the proboscis monkey and the silver langur monkey have their own genera, which is a huge gap.
Unusually large nose
In appearance, adult proboscis monkeys have a "drunken" pink face and an unusually large nose (females also have long noses, but not that large); adult silver langurs have black faces and shorter, flatter noses.
Female proboscis monkey
In terms of stature, the proboscis monkey is much larger, the male proboscis monkey has 76 cm and weighs 20 to 24 kg, while the silver langur monkey is only 56 cm long and weighs an average of only 7 kg.
Silver langurs weigh three times less
What are the similarities? social structure.
Both species are typical of "mono-male societies"—groups of one dominant male and multiple females and offspring.
A monogamous society means that men born in these groups, once mature, are driven out, break out of the world on their own, form their own groups, or violently take over another group.
In order to stand on its own, it doesn't matter what you hate or what you hate
The habitat suitable for survival is that big. Moreover, Borneo, unlike the rest of the world, is facing the problem of logging, shrinking year by year.
The reduction in habitat limits the self-reliance of males who have been expelled from their homes in both species.
The researchers observed that male proboscis monkeys are actively mating with female silver langurs in the area and forming families to form mixed groups – female proboscis monkeys and female silver langurs who are also "harems" coexist peacefully, and even help each other take care of each other's baby monkey cubs.
Most hybrid offspring from different species are sterile and unable to produce offspring, which makes the hybrid monkey and her children even more unusual.
However, further observation revealed that it did not seem to be a romantic story
At this point in the story, it seems that the young people of two family of feuds love and combine, get married and have children, and everyone is happy. But wait, what about the silver langur?
The researchers searched and searched, but found no case of male silver langurs "marrying" female proboscis monkeys. The Silver Langur is a completely defeated party.
Want to cry
As the investigation progressed, the researchers found that male proboscis monkeys who left their original families were using their 2 or 3 times body weight advantage to expel silver langurs and take over the harem group.
The proboscis monkey, which crossed the reproductive isolation, was born to a "new species" with the characteristics of two species, a long nose, a gray face...
Write at the end
While the discovery may seem unique and interesting, unfortunately both species are now crammed into the remaining narrow riverbank forest, surrounded by oil palm plantations, without food or drink.
When habitat is missing, primates are driven to panic, and whatever race is not racial, anything can really be done – these monkeys are a perfect example.
Mankind, cherish the environment, lest one day...
Owls thank you for your attention (¬_¬)