New ape species found but already imperilled

SCIENTISTS have discovered a seventh living species of great ape – and it is already considered the most endangered of them all.

Aside from humans, there were six known great ape species, including gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos. Two of these were Bornean and Sumatran orangutans, until a study found that an isolated population of orangutans living in Sumatra was actually its own species.

These orangutans, it has emerged, have smaller skulls and larger teeth, as well as frizzier hair and a prominent moustache.

Encountered for the first time in 1997, it took a careful examination of a skeleton taken from the Batang Toru area of North Sumatra in Indonesia four years ago to discover the unique characteristics of our distant ape relative.

However, only 800 of the orangutans, given the scientific name Pongo tapanuliensis, remain, and scientists warn that if just eight a year are killed they could be doomed to extinction.

Erik Meijaard, a member of the research team from the Australian National University that discovered the orangutans, said: “Great apes are among the best-studied species in the world.

“If after 200 years of serious biological research we can still find new species in this group, what does it tell us about all the other stuff that we are overlooking – hidden species, unknown ecological relationships?”

Professor Serge Wich of Liverpool John Moores University, who provided ecological expertise to the study, said it was an “incredibly exciting” discovery.

But, he added: “If steps are not taken quickly to reduce current and future threats to conserve every last remaining bit of forest, we may see the discovery and extinction of a great ape species within our lifetime.”

It is believed the Batang Toru population may have been isolated from other Sumatran apes for up to 20 000 years. However, they are severely threatened by hunting and a proposed hydroelectric dam that would flood large parts of their best habitat.

Professor Michael Krutzen, lead author of the study published in the journal Current Biology, said: “All conservation efforts must focus on protecting the species’ environment.” – Daily Mail

PICTURE: AP A Tapanuli orangutan, with its baby. Scientists are claiming an isolated and tiny population of orangutans on the Indonesian island of Sumatra with frizzier hair and smaller heads are a new species of great ape. It’s believed that there are no more...