The Proboscis Monkey
I have often been teased because of my big nose. I never knew there was anything wrong with my nose until high school when other boys would mention it unmercifully. I often thought about getting a nose job. This kept up until one of my teachers told me it was a good strong Irish nose and I should be proud of it. I then ignored the taunts. One major problem was the sunburn at the beach. My nose became so red I swear you could read a book by it. I learned to cover it with zinc oxide(a chalky white cream) while at the shore. I obtained a golden tan without the red beacon.
Naturally, when I came to Sarawak, I became interested in the Proboscis Monkey. This long nosed creature fascinated me and when I found it was called Kera Belanda in Malay or “the monkey that looked like a person from the Netherlands.”
While at Bako National park, I found out it was strong swimmer. Males have been found at sea and when the boats tried to pick them up they jumped overboard again. Their major predators are crocodiles and Clouded Leopards. When they make their nest in trees for the night over a river and a Clouded Leopard attacks, they jump in the river and swim away. There have been reports of the cats taking juvenile and infant Proboscis Monkeys.
The Proboscis monkeys use the land only to travel across and hence the need to swim quickly away from the crocks. Their food are the leaves in the trees despite the myriad of shell fish and invertebrates found along the seaside. They live in a harem with a dominant male and a groups of juveniles and females as well as other males. There doesn’t seem to be much fighting among within the group. The males lack the big teeth (canines) so often associated with other species of monkeys.
So what’s with the big nose and how did it evolve? The Proboscis monkey lives in the mangrove swamps, wetlands, mud flats and sandy beaches. The large nose may function to stop water from entering the breathing tract while swimming. The large nosed Proboscis has a hard time drinking fresh water.
In mate selection, it also plays a part in the mating call. The larger the nose the deeper (music wise) the sound. Females seem to be attracted in the low tonal quality therefore the monkey with the largest nose would get the mate.
It is also thought the nose is beneficial for the infant. While swimming, the infant clings to the mothers chest and the large nose give a few mm more of air space than if it had a snub nose. This little extra would prevent drowning.
There is no doubt that the larger the nose the more females in the harem. Although I have had my share of lovers, I can’t say my big nose had anything to do with it. I have a nice tenor singing voice but I have never wooed my lovers into a relationship by singing the way the Probicus Monkeys do.
So, how did the monkey become a strong swimmer? According to Darwin, the monkey that escaped from the Clouded Leopard or crocodile by swimming the fastest passed down his genes through his sons of daughters. You eventually got a group of strong swimmers. Coupled with the mating call of a big nose there arose a group of monkeys who could and does live along the shoreline.
The Proboscis Monkey is an endangered species with its parts used in Chinese medicines. I am glad I got to see one before the’re all gone.
Some of the material was taken from: Ellis, Derek Proboscis Monkey and Aquatic Ape in the Sarawak Museum Journal, December 1986. Other facts were obtained from a variety of sources.
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