A new monkey species discovered in the Amazon rainforest may already be endangered, scientists say.
The previously undiscovered primate was spotted on three separate occasions in a part of the Amazon rainforest that until now has been largely unstudied.
Scientists at the University of Mato Grosso in Brazil believe they have found a new type of saki monkey with a unique calico colouring, ‘Nature World News’ reported.
Saki monkey lives in rainforests ranging across South America from South Colombia to Central Brazil. They can reach up to 20 inches long and weigh about 4.4 pounds.
As they rarely leave the trees that they live in, it is no surprise that there are unknown species of saki monkeys.
Although researchers know almost nothing about this possible new species, they do know that it is likely nearing extinction.
According to The Dodo website, the region in which these primates were found is among the hardest hit by deforestation, with 85 per cent of the forest destroyed.