 Mad Science
Cool Articles
Mad Gallery
Crazy Activities
 GF Research
Tree Guide
Challenge a Scientist
Scientist's Answers
| FACTOID!! |  |
 |  |
|
| The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth |  |
|
| 
|
Congenitally Deformed Japanese Macaque Infants
|
|
Environmental degradation of primate habitat
Japanese macaques inhabit some of the most industrialized habitat of any non-human primate. Since the 1960s, many members of the free-ranging population of macaques have been born with malformations of the limbs and digits, which research links to pesticides used on the monkeys' food sources and other environmental pollution. Good parental care of malformed infants is critical to their survival, and mothers seem to spend much more time with these infants than is normal. Researchers hope to learn how these monkeys adapt to the effects of pollution and human disturbance, and to discover the extent of malformation in the population. Understanding how malformations affect social behaviour is key to understanding the human impact on the macaques and developing appropriate conservation measures.
back to the list of projects
|
|
