Monkey discovery not to be sneezed at

By The Newsroom
Published 26th Oct 2010, 18:25 BST
Updated 26th Oct 2010, 23:16 BST
A NEW species of monkey with an unfortunate infliction caused by the shape of its face has been discovered in the forests of northern Burma.

The snub-nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus strykeri, has upturned nostrils that fill with water when it rains, making the animal sneeze.

Although new to global science, local people living near its habitat say the monkeys are easy to spot in rainy weather.

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To avoid sneezing, the animals spend days sitting with their heads tucked between their knees. R strykeri is known as "mey nwoah" - "monkey with an upturned face" - in the local language.

The black-furred monkey is believed to live in a confined area around the Maw River in Kachin State, north-eastern Burma, now renamed Myanmar.

About 260 to 330 individuals are thought to inhabit a distribution area of just 270 square kilometres. An international team of biologists and primatologists made the discovery early this year after following up reports of sightings by local hunters.