Yep, this is the one. Note the distinct "saddle" markings on the back. (Wildlife Conservation Society)

Yes, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced a new monkey yesterday. While it’s not the fabled Bigfoot or skunk ape that I know you all were clamoring for, it is a distinct Amazonian subspecies of saddleback tamarin. That’s him in the illustration. Quite a handsome chap, yeah? He weighs in at less than 0.75 pounds and is only 9 inches tall.

The WCS researchers have dubbed the monkey Mura’s saddleback tamarin (or Saguinus fuscicollis mura) named after the Mura Indians, the ethnic group native to the river basins that the monkey calls home. In publications on their find, the WCS stresses two important facts here. One, it’s 2009 and we’re still discovering new kinds of primate life in the secluded corners of the world (though scientists first glimpsed this little guy in 2007).

Secondly, and most importantly, the WCS points out that the paving of a massive Amazonian highway (along with a pipeline and a couple of dams planned for the region) threatens the survival of Mura’s saddleback tam. Bring in roads and power, they argue, and you’re likely to soon see the kind of rapid deforestation that could threaten any native life-form.

So there you have it: a new monkey, and already there’s a risk we’ll wipe it out. This is why we can’t have nice things, people.

Thanks to HSW’s own Rob Sheppe for bringing this to my attention!

Disappear into the jungle at HowStuffWorks.com:
How Bigfoot Works
How Deforestation Works
How Electricity Works
How Rainforests Work
How could a tribe remain undiscovered in the Amazon in the 21st century?