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'New' Giant Ape Gound In DR Congo
2008-01-14来源:
近日，科学家们在刚果境内发现了一种很可能属于新物种的猩猩。 Scientists believe they have discovered a new group of giant apes in the jungles of central Africa.
The animals, with characteristics of both gorillas and chimpanzees , have been sighted in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They stand up to two metres tall, the size of gorillas, but unlike gorillas, they nest on the ground, not in trees. If they are a new species of primate, it could be one of the most important wildlife discoveries in decades. According to local villagers, the apes living in the remote forests of northern DR Congo are ferocious, and even capable of killing lions. But these mysterious apes live hundreds of kilometres away from any other known gorilla populations, and their diet is closer to that of chimpanzees. The discovery has baffled scientists. They are now studying whether this could be a new species of ape. Another possibility is that the creatures are giant chimpanzees, much larger than any so far recorded, but which behave like gorillas. Or alternatively, they could be hybrids, the product of gorillas mating with chimpanzees. So far, researchers have little to go on, but they now plan to return to northern DR Congo to study the apes further. In the meantime, there are fears that unless measures are taken to protect them, poaching could threaten this new group of primates before the mystery of their identity is resolved.
The animals, with characteristics of both gorillas and chimpanzees , have been sighted in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They stand up to two metres tall, the size of gorillas, but unlike gorillas, they nest on the ground, not in trees. If they are a new species of primate, it could be one of the most important wildlife discoveries in decades. According to local villagers, the apes living in the remote forests of northern DR Congo are ferocious, and even capable of killing lions. But these mysterious apes live hundreds of kilometres away from any other known gorilla populations, and their diet is closer to that of chimpanzees. The discovery has baffled scientists. They are now studying whether this could be a new species of ape. Another possibility is that the creatures are giant chimpanzees, much larger than any so far recorded, but which behave like gorillas. Or alternatively, they could be hybrids, the product of gorillas mating with chimpanzees. So far, researchers have little to go on, but they now plan to return to northern DR Congo to study the apes further. In the meantime, there are fears that unless measures are taken to protect them, poaching could threaten this new group of primates before the mystery of their identity is resolved.
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