Sneezing Monkey Makes List of Top 10 New Species for 2012

A snub-nosed monkey from Myanmar (Burma) that sneezes when it rains made ASU's list of the Top 10 New Species for 2012. The monkeys were discovered in 2010. Hunters and villagers told scientists that they could find this snub-nosed monkey by waiting until it rained and listening for sneezes in the trees. The monkey does have a very strange shaped nose, which offers little protection from rain. The monkeys sit with their heads between their legs when it rains in an attempt to avoid this problem. The monkey has the common name of Sneezing Monkey and the scientific name of Rhinopithecus strykeri. Here is a video of the unusual monkeys, which are thought to be critically endangered:



Photo: Dr. Thomas Geissmann/Fauna & Flora International