See a newly-discovered monkey which purrs like a cat and other strange new ... - Mirror.co.uk

 

A monkey that purrs like a cat has been discovered in the depths of the Amazon rainforest.

The Caquetta titi monkey is one of 441 new species discovered during the past three years by teams of scientists.

The discovery has been described by wildlife experts as "remarkable" .

Scientist Thomas Defler, who was one of the team who spotted the animal in Colombia, told Sky News:  "When they feel very content they purr towards each other."

The new animal is one of about 20 species of titi monkey which all live in the Amazon Basin.

A total of 258 plants, 84 fish, 58 amphibians and 18 birds were also discovered during the study. The monkey was the only new mammal to be found.

Other discoveries included a vegetarian piranha and a tiny frog, described as being the size of a thimble.

Damian Fleming, from the World Wildlife Fund, said: "The richness of the Amazon's forests and freshwater habitats continues to amaze the world.

"With an average of two new species identified every week for the past four years, it's clear that the extraordinary Amazon remains one of the most important centres of global biodiversity."