( MENAFN - The Conversation) Of all the monkey species around the world, one stands out with its large, bizarre nose. In male proboscis monkeys, their bulbous noses will often hang past their mouths. But why evolve such a strange feature? Are they a visual sign of health and status to potential female mates, and to other males? Or did they evolve to help the monkeys make honks and other loud sounds? In our new study, published in Scientific Reports , we have deepened our understanding of these enlarged nasal structures by investigating what lies beneath: the structures in the skull.
Our findings help to explain how these noses function as visual and acoustic signals of health and status. They also add to a growing body of evidence that shows researchers can use close examinations of skulls to glean information about primate social behaviour. One of the largest monkey species in Asia, proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) are endemic to the island of Borneo.
They live in coastal mangroves, peat swamps and riverine forests, and have an unusual diet made up mostly of leaves . They can swim quite well and have webbed fingers and toes . They typically live in harem groups, made up of a single adult male (who tends to have a large, bulbous nose), some adult females and their offspring.
Males don't often get the opportunity to attract a harem until they reach middle age . These older, dominant and large-nosed males don't easily tolerate other large-nosed males, often trying to ward t.
