中國發現新的長臂猿物種

Scientists have discovered a new species of gibbon living in south-west China’s rainforests.

科學家在中國西南地區的熱帶雨林裏發現了新的長臂猿品種。

Although scientists had been studying the primate for some time new research has revealed it is in fact a different species.

雖然科學家研究靈長類動物多年，但新的研究表明，這確實是一個不同的品種。

It has been named the Skywalker hoolock gibbon by its discoverers who are Star Wars fans. The name is also a nod to the fact that the Chinese characters of its scientific name Hoolock tianxing mean “Heaven’s movement”.

這個新發現的長臂猿被命名爲天行者白眉長臂猿。他的發現者是電影“星球大戰”的粉絲。天行的中文意思是：天堂的行動。

Dr Sam Turvey from the Zoological Society of London who was part of the team studying the apes told BBC News: “In this area so many species have declined or gone extinct because of habitat loss hunting and general human overpopulation.

來自倫敦動物學會的Sam Turvey 博士是這個研究團隊的一員，他對BBC說：因爲棲息地的減少、偷獵以及人口數量的過度增長，這個區域的許多物種數量都在減少或頻臨滅絕。

“So it’s an absolute privilege to see something as special and as rare as a gibbon in a canopy in a Chinese rainforest and especially when it turns out that the gibbons are actually a new species previously unrecognised by science.”

“所以在中國的熱帶雨林的樹冠上看到這些既罕見又特別的長臂猿絕對是交了好運，更別說這些長臂猿還是科學家還未發現的新物種。”

The research team led by Fan Peng-Fei from Sun Yat-sen University in China first suspected that the gibbons they were studying in Gaoligongshan nature reserve in Yunnan province might be different because of subtle differences in the typical facial markings of white eyebrows and beards.

由中國中山大學範鵬飛領導的研究小組首先懷疑他們在雲南省高黎貢山自然保護區研究的長臂猿可能是新物種，因爲白色眉毛和鬍鬚這些典型的面部標記有微妙差異。

Gibbons are renowned for their loud song which they use to mark territory and this also sounded unusual.

長臂猿因其善於大聲鳴叫並用來標記領地而出名， 而這些長臂猿的叫聲非同一般。

A full genetic and physical comparison with other gibbons then confirmed that they had found a new species.

通過與其它長臂猿完整的基因和事實比對他們證實了這是一個新物種。

The scientists estimate that about 200 Skywalker gibbons are living in China and also potentially in neighbouring Myanmar but say that the species should already be classified as endangered. Habitat loss and fragmentation is putting the gibbons at risk of extinction.

科學家們估計大約只有200只天行者長臂猿生活在中國或者他們的鄰居緬甸所以他們應該已被列爲瀕危物種。棲息地的缺失和碎片化導致了它們有滅絕的危險。

In the Gaoligongshan nature reserve where the gibbons were discovered scientists had to trek up to 2500m to find suitable habitat as “everywhere below there has been logged” Dr Turvey said to the BBC.

在高黎貢山自然保護區里科學家們要艱難攀登上海拔2500m纔到之前他們發現長臂猿的地方，“在這個高度以下森林都被砍伐了”特爾維博士對BBC談到。