A shy tree-dwelling monkey with a black face and long brown fur, the kipunji, was unknown to science until 2003, when it was discovered in a farmer's trap in a remote region of southern Tanzania. Now scientists think it may have had an intriguing sexual past.

Credit: Photo courtesy of Tim Davenport.

"The most extensive DNA study to-date of Africa's rarest monkey reveals that the species had an intriguing sexual past. Of the last two remaining populations of the recently discovered kipunji, (key-POON-jee), one population shows evidence of past mating with baboons while the other does not," the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) said in a statement.

NESCent is a collaborative effort of Duke University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University and is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

"The first analyses revealed that kipunji represented an entirely new genus of primate, Rungwecebus. Now, thanks to additional DNA samples collected from dung and tissue--the most extensive genetic data to date--scientists have a more complete picture of the genetic makeup of this monkey," NESCent said.

"The kipunji is found in two tiny forest fragments totaling less than seven square miles," researchers explained. "Of the last two remaining populations, one is in Tanzania's Southern Highlands, and the other lies 250 miles away in a mountain range called the Udzungwas."

Dung samples

Armed with six dung samples from the Udzungwas--the first ever genetic material from this population--and two additional tissue samples from the Southern Highlands, the researchers were able to reconstruct the genetic relationships between these populations and kipunji's closest kin, NESCent added.

"Confirming other reports, the Southern Highlands population contained bits of DNA that are similar to baboons. This suggests that the two species interbred at some point after they diverged," researchers explained.

"Way back in time in the evolutionary history of this population there was at least one event where there was some cross-fertilization with a baboon," said study author Tim Davenport of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

In contrast, the researchers discovered that the Udzungwa population showed no traces of baboon DNA.

"We thought the DNA from the second population would match the first one, but instead we got something quite different," said first author Trina Roberts of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham, North Carolina.

"Mating across the species barrier isn't unheard of in the animal kingdom."

Mating across the species barrier isn't unheard of in the animal kingdom, NESCent said.

"We usually think of species' genomes as being contained and not sharing with each other, but sometimes one species picks up genetic material from another through interbreeding," said Roberts. "It's as if the genomes are a little leaky."

The findings help to settle a debate over kipunji's status as a new genus of primate. "They're still separate taxa--they're not baboons, they're still kipunji," said co-author Bill Stanley of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. "But there's a little bit of baboon DNA that shows up when you analyze their DNA."

Their results may also help to set conservation priorities for this critically endangered monkey. Much of the kipunji's remaining habitat is threatened by deforestation for farming and other uses, the researchers explained. "There's a lot of pressure on the forest for natural resources--food, medicine, fuel, and building materials," said Davenport. "Part of the challenge we have is making sure the forest isn't degraded any further."

Census data indicate there are just over 1,100 individuals left in the wild, said Davenport. Of these, roughly 1,000 live in the Southern Highlands, and 100 remain in the Udzungwas. Both populations may require habitat protection if we are to preserve the genetic diversity of the species, researchers said.

"Udzungwa is a tiny population," said Roberts. "What we've shown is that it is substantially different from the first population. We may not be able to resurrect it by simply transplanting kipunji from one population to the other," Roberts said.

"If we were to lose it we might in fact lose the true kipunji genome forever," she added.

"We have two separate populations that are slightly genetically different, so until we learn more it is extremely important that we maintain both of them," Davenport said. "It might be that those genetic differences have an impact on their survival in the future."

The team's findings appear online in the November 11 issue of Biology Letters.

Julie Larsen Maher © WCS

Most of us know aardvark as the first word in the dictionary. It's also a really cool to know for word games like Scrabble.

I grew up in South Africa and know this word,(in Afrikaans aardvark literally means "earth pig"), but I don't recall ever seeing an aardvark, certainly not in the wild. The reason is that it is solitary and nocturnal, and seldom seen.

So it's exciting that the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo has opened a new exhibit this week featuring two aardvarks from Tanzania. Now millions of New York-area people can see animals that millions of Africans who live with aardvarks in their midst seldom glimpse.

"The nocturnal aardvarks live in a habitat that simulates nighttime with enough light for visitors to observe these unusual creatures when the animals are active," the Bronx Zoo said in a caption accompanying the photos here.

"Our in-house team worked very hard to create an environment that is visually pleasing, comfortable for the animals, and that lets us continue our mission of conservation and of educating the public,"said Jim Breheny, the zoo's director.

The aardvarks are a male and a female, and approximately two years old. The male weighs about 100 lbs, and the female is about 115 lbs. Females have a wider head than males and are generally lighter in color.

White-faced scops owl photo by Julie Larsen Maher © WCS  

The aardvarks are living with a breeding pair of white-faced scops owls in the zoo's Carter Giraffe Building.

Aardvark Facts

(from Bronx Zoo)

• Despite its porcine name (Afrikaans for earth pig), the aardvark is more closely related to an elephant than it is to a pig.

• To recreate their sub-Saharan diet of ants and termites, these aardvarks are fed moistened insectivore chow and meat slurry.

• Although the aardvark is a species classified as least vulnerable, its habitat is still subject to human encroachment, and the animal is sometimes hunted for its meat and for its claws and snout, considered good luck by some indigenous people.

News from Africa for the 5th World Water Forum:

Tanzania Brewer Drafted into Water Efficiency Effort

Despite re-occurring drought in Tanzania, Safari and Kilimanjaro Premium Lagers may be sold at the local watering hole for some time to come.

Based in the capital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Breweries Limited was worried about the region's water supply. The company brought together citizens, environmentalists, and government agencies who are now working on large-scale infrastructure and efficiency projects to secure the city's supply into the long-term future.

Tanzania Breweries, and its parent company SABMiller, were recognized in a report on corporate action the World Wildlife Fund-United Kingdom released yesterday at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul.

SABMiller, along with MillerCoors and dozens of other big businesses--not all breweries--helped to develop the United Nations CEO Water Mandate, a voluntary initiative to become more water efficient.

The Dar es Salaam region is subject to drought and crop failure, and is expected to become even more vulnerable as climate change intensifies.

The government isn't doing it's job to secure a water source, said report author Stuart Orr.

African Countries Come Together to Manage Groundwater

The Iullemenden Aquifer sprawls 193,000 square miles (500,000 square kilometers)--about the size of California--below Mali, Niger, and Nigeria in Northwestern Africa.

It is estimated that withdrawals have increased from 50 million cubic meters in 1970 to 180 million cubic meters in 2004, mostly due to a population increase of 9 million in the region over that same period of time.

NGS photo of Tazole Well, Niger, by James L. Stanfield

The area has been labeled one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change as drought--which has persisted since 1970---is expected to get worse.

Recognizing the situation was potentially explosive, government agencies in all three countries got together to form the Sahara and Sahel Observatory to assess the situation and work on an agreement to manage the aquifer.

The U.N. has highlighted the project as a model for other possible conflict areas.

Aquatic Species at Risk in Southern Africa

The World Conservation Union (IUCN)--one of the definitive sources on endangered and threatened species--announced today at the World Water Forum that many southern African freshwater fish, crabs, dragonflies and aquatic plants risk extinction.

The biggest threat to survival: development.

Out of 1,279 freshwater species in southern Africa, 94 are threatened--78 of these are found in South Africa.

"Here at the World Water Forum the trend is to think about water supply in terms of irrigation, hydropower and drinking water," said William Darwall, Manager of IUCN's Freshwater Biodiversity Unit, in a statement. "People tend to forget about the species that live in the water but we can no longer afford to do this."

IUCN goes on to explain that many of these species are an important source of food.

Read more about this: Action Urged to Avert Extinction of Southern Africa's Aquatic Species

Schools in Kenya Secure Clean Water, a Better Learning Environment

Much of Nyanza Province in Kenya is drought-prone. Women and children end up walking four miles (six kilometers), or three hours, a day to haul water. Nearly 90 percent of the province's schools do not have a clean source, according to the nonprofit Global Water Challenge, based in Washington, D.C.

In the last three years teachers from 285 schools in Nyanza have learned how to treat water with a chlorine solution. In addition, they have installed hand-washing stations.

The Sustaining and Scaling School Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (SWASH) program is a five-year funding effort by U.S. businesses, government agencies, and advocacy organizations and foundations to bring proper hygiene, and ideally better health and therefore better education to classrooms. (It is hard to concentrate when you're sick.)

Tasha Eichenseher's attendance at the 5th World Water Forum is sponsored by Media21 -- a Switzerland-based journalism foundation that brings reporters and producers from around the globe to work together on coverage of major issues such as human rights, climate change, and health.

Photo by E Bowen-Jones/Courtesy FFI

By many reckonings we live in scary times. It's sometimes difficult to find the good news to share. So it's particularly welcome to report on Halloween that one species of bat in Africa is doing a lot better than it was only a few years ago.

"The Pemba flying fox has made a dramatic return from the brink of extinction," Fauna & Flora International (FFI), a UK-based conservation organization, announced today.

"As recently as 1989, only a scant few individual fruit bats could be observed on the tropical island of Pemba, off Tanzania. Its numbers have since soared to an astounding 22,000 bats in less than 20 years," FFI said.