Pictures: Bushy-Bearded Titi Monkey Discovered

A new species of monkey with a red, bushy beard (pictured) has been discovered in theColombiansection of the Amazon rain forest, conservationists announced today.

A scientist first glimpsedCallicebus caquetensis—a type of titi monkey—in the 1960s. But political strife in the southern Caquetá Province (seemap) kept scientists away until 2008, when an expedition finally confirmed the bearded monkey as a new species. (See"New Monkey Species Found in Remote Amazon.")

The cat-size primate is"fascinating"because it mates for life, an unusual trait among monkeys, said expedition leaderThomas Defler, a primatologist at the National University of Colombia in Bogotá. Pairs are often spotted sitting on branches with their tails intertwined.

A typical Caquetá titi couple has a baby every year, and the father handles most of the infant's care, other than nursing, Defler noted. It's unknown why the dad does most of the work, but there's likely an evolutionary advantage, he said. (See morepictures of devoted animal dads.)

The discovery, funded byConservation International's Primate Action Fund andConservation International Colombia, was detailed online August 12 in the journalPrimate Conservation.

—Christine Dell'Amore

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