[Raptor235]

Climate change may be causing some monkeying around. In Kenya, a type of guenon known as De Brazza’s monkey has been found in novel terrain, with a large population discovered east of the Great Rift Valley in the Samburu district.

The valley is a huge fissure in the Earth’s crust, several million years old and stretching thousands of miles through east Africa, across the Red Sea, to Syria. This geologic formation is the result of active plate tectonics, where crustal plates are moving apart. In the past, the valley has served as a physical barrier for many species, while hosting its own unique ecosystem.

De Brazza’s monkeys are found in equatorial Africa from Cameroon in the west to Kenya and Ethiopia in the east. Large primates, they can reach up to five feet in length and live in various habitats, from swamp to dry mountain forest, spending much of their time in trees. Groups may have up to 35 members. These monkeys are slow, quiet, and unusually reticent; they tend to avoid contact with other species. A typical response to threat is to stay still - for up to eight hours. Such secretive habits make them difficult to track or count. Studies have found that these monkeys have high juvenile mortality (20-23% die in the first year) and breed relatively slowly; as a result, populations do not grow quickly. Until now, only about 700 De Brazza’s monkeys were known in Kenya. The Samburu population is estimated at 200-300 individuals.You can find the entire article here http://aboutmyplanet.com/climate-cha...%80%99s-monkey