Story
August 7, 2022
The Future of Mentawai's Endemic Primates on Sipora Island is at Risk (bahasa Indonesia)
Country:
The threats to four endemic primates and the biodiversity of Sipora Island
This story excerpt was translated from bahasa Indonesia. To read the original story in full, visit Mentawai Kita. You may also view the original story on the Rainforest Journalism Fund website here. Our website is available in English, Spanish, bahasa Indonesia, French, and Portuguese.
SIPORA, Indonesia—At the top of a tumung tree, the black shadow of a bilou hides behind a thicket of leaves. Its long arms hug the branches. Its black eyes watch us below, on the red, clay road of the newly cleared forest.
The pygmy siamang, one of the endemic primates of the Mentawai Islands, is slender with shiny black fur.
Bilou is renowned for the sonority of his screech every morning. The high, melodious screech has been dubbed the most beautiful rhythm emitted by a mammal.
Como una organización periodística sin fines de lucro, dependemos de su apoyo para financiar el periodismo que cubre temas poco difundidos en todo el mundo. Done cualquier valor hoy y conviértase en un Campeón del Centro Pulitzer recibiendo beneficios exclusivos.
Bilou is also considered the most primitive type of ungko because of its simple screech that is thought to resemble the screech of the ungko's ancestors. But that morning, the bilou did not make a sound.
