Mysterious Amazon Animal Spotted Alive For The First Time In 80 Years
Unfortunately, the list of endangered animals is longer than ever in the past few years. But surprisingly, given current trends, a wild species thought to be extinct has miraculously come back to life. Vanzolini’s bald-faced saki.
The saki monkey is a species of monkey native to South America, specifically the Amazon rainforest. Among them, Vanzolini’s bald-faced saki is the most elusive. In fact, this species – first discovered in the 1930s – has been considered extinct because it has not been seen for eight decades.
However, on a recent expedition, the shy creature, recognizable by its shaggy coat and golden legs, was seen alive. A wonderful exploration of the delicate situation of wildlife and the environment. Laura Marsh, director of the Global Conservation Institute, led the expedition. “It was amazing,” she told National Geographic. “I was shaking and was so excited that I could barely take a picture.”
First discovered in the 1930s, the first documented record of Vanzolini’s saki dates back to 1936, when the journal of Alfonso Ollala described the mysterious monkey as a creature with a long fluffy tail and golden fur creature.
Marsh team managed to track the elusive monkeys to a very remote area of rainforest somewhere on Brazil’s border with Peru. Although their habitat appears to be completely untouched by humans, Laura Marsh fears for the species’ future. “If it remains at that impact level right now, it is not ideal for conserving Vanzolini populations,” she said in a report published in the journal Oryx.
Fortunately, the Vanzolini sakis aren’t the first species declared extinct and then rediscovered. Recently, the wildlife experts have confirmed the sights of some animals thought to be extinct. Among them the Formosan clouded leopard, Baiji dolphin, Pinta tortoise or the Caribbean monk seal.
