Surge of Primate Extinctions Lies Ahead

Sept. 15 -- This week a red monkey from the forests of West Africa was officially declared extinct — wiped off the planet as the first documented primate extinction since the 1700s.

That may seem troubling, but even more worrisome, scientists say, is the swelling tidal wave of extinctions that lies in the future. In fact, research indicates at least one-fifth of the 608 species of primates that have evolved over millions of years could soon disappear.

“If we care at all, it is a cause for immense alarm,” says Ross MacPhee, an extinction expert and curator of zoology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. An intense study of a handful of the most threatened species, notes MacPhee, could help scientists zero in on what factors are threatening the animals. That information, in turn, could help determine the best ways to protect all primates.

Part of the Family

Primates, the taxonomic order that includes humans, apes and monkeys, are found on most continents in a variety of climates. The group is noted for hands that can grasp objects, large brains (and greater capacity for intelligence) and eyes that perceive depth. Like humans, sexual maturity comes late, and gestation of young is prolonged, culminating in the birth of helpless babies. The deaths of even a few individuals can devastate a group.

In January, Conservation International and the World Conservation Union reported that 25 primate species in Africa, Asia and South America face “an extremely high risk of extinction” in the next 10-20 years. Included in that list was Miss Waldron’s red colobus monkey — the monkey that no longer exists, according to a study published this week. Scientists recorded their final glimpses of the Miss Waldron’s red colobus monkey in the 1970s. Another species, Vietnam’s Cat Ba Island golden-headed langur, is also feared to be extinct, although there has been no official declaration.

Depending on the region, a variety of circumstances produce hostile environments for monkeys and apes that once thrived. For example, many primates have been unable to adapt to the human interference of logging, mining, farming and road-building in their once-isolated habitats.