The American Journal of Primatology announced this Tuesday the discovery of a new species of primate, the Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock Tianxing), in eastern Myanmar and southwestern China.
The new primate belongs to Hoolock, a genus of gibbons that already includes two living species, the western hoolock gibbon (H. hoolock) and the eastern hoolock gibbon (H. leuconedys), geographically isolated by a river.
A young skywalker hoolock gibbon hangs out high in a tree. [Photo Source]
Hoolock gibbons are about 32 inches tall, have no tail, and, depending on the sex, weigh an average of 13 pounds (female) or 15 pounds (male), and the new skywalkers differs from other hoolock gibbons in the color and variation of their eyebrows, genital tufts, and beards.
This discovery of the skywalker hoolock gibbons was made by scientists in eastern Myanmar and southwestern China and they had earlier been counted among the populations of eastern hoolock gibbons (H. leuconedys), a species that the IUCN Red List has classified as vulnerable.
A juvenile male of the Skywalker hoolock gibbon (Hoolock Tianxing) from Mt. Gaoligong jumping across trees. [Photo Source]
Interestingly, Mark Hamill, the actor who stars as Luke Skywalker in the film franchise, seems to be equally happy and has already taken note of the name. On Wednesday, he tweeted:
So proud of this! First the Pez dispenser, then the Underoos & U.S. postage stamp... now this! # GorillaMyDreams # SimianSkywalker # JungleJedi.
And perhaps naming them after a pop culture hero was designed to attract the attention of conservationists, and I guess it shall work, as The Force is strong with the skywalker hoolock gibbon!!!
Also check this short video: New gibbon species named after Luke Skywalker - YouTube
Sources for the post and further reading
- http://www.china.org.cn/china/2017-01/13/content_40095741.htm
- http://www.livescience.com/57480-star-wars-inspired-skywalker-gibbon.html
- http://www.abc12.com/content/news/Scientists-claim-new-gibbon-species-_-name-it-Skywalker-410644225.html
- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/01/star-wars-skywalker-hoolock-gibbons-primates/
- http://6abc.com/pets/scientists-name-new-gibbon-species-skywalker/1701439/
- http://www.sci-news.com/biology/new-species-skywalker-hoolock-gibbon-04533.html
- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajp.22631/full
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